


Freeing Pain

by Sage_Kazankov



Series: Paranormal Province: Freeing [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Brothers, Enemies, Enemy Brothers, Gay, Gay Character, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Plot Twists, Shifter, Twins, liger, liger shifter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:27:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23272450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sage_Kazankov/pseuds/Sage_Kazankov
Summary: Jude Kash’s life was filled with abused animals and too little sleep. His work at the We Are One Foundation brought him his new devil-dog Teddy Bear and his new obsession: an abused liger named Sampson.Sampson suffered from poor living conditions and threats with a gun. Jude, or Kash to his friends, witnessed it first hand when he snuck onto Whitman’s, Sampson’s owner’s, property. When Kash and others from the We Are One Foundation finally make a plan to rescue poor Sampson things go terribly wrong.When Kash finally regains consciousness he awoke to a very handsome and naked man taking care of him. Kash felt a connection with the man he couldn’t explain. The man introduced himself as Maj and explained everything except for one small detail of his life: he was Sampson, a liger shifter.Kash took the news considerably well except for one problem… that detail wasn’t so small, in fact, it could cost Kash his life.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Paranormal Province: Freeing [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673464
Comments: 21
Kudos: 8





	1. Teddy Bear

**Author's Note:**

> This work was initially published under another pen name. I received the rights back and thought I'd post it here.
> 
> I know original works don't get a lot of love here but that's okay. I'm sure someone will enjoy it.
> 
> ~ Sage

The high was waning.

Adrenaline siphoned away, leaving me feeling tired and a little weak. I needed a damn nap.

“I can’t believe that little monster let you get him.” Amanda, my best friend, said from behind the wheel of the truck.

I sighed and pet the dog in my lap. He was asleep, curled up, and sighed. “He’s sweet.”

Amanda scoffed. “He’s evil.” She turned on the blinker and turned down the street that led to the warehouse of the We Are One Foundation.

“He’s spirited.”

“Spirited with a demon.”

I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore her. It wasn’t the little dog’s fault. He was scared earlier. Hell, I was too. This was the largest animal rescue the We Are One Foundation took on at one time. A cosmetic company, Sugar Pop, agreed to release their testing animals in a PR attempt when it was made known they did, in fact, test on animals. I didn’t really give a damn why they did; I was just happy about it. This little dog in my lap was one of those dogs. He was kept in a tiny cage, and his skin was red or irritated. Some of his hair was missing in patches. In a weird way, it made him cuter. Once his hair grew in, I thought it’d be white with patches of tan and probably curly.

This little dog was the last one to be taken out of there. His hostile nature wasn’t exactly inviting. Our veterinarian wanted to sedate him, but I said no. Instead I sat with him, the cage open, and waited. That was it. I could tell he waited for me to grab or strong-arm him out of the cage. With only a few minutes of completely ignoring him, the little dog jumped into my lap and hadn’t left my side since.

The little dog stirred and stretched. Black eyes looked at me with hope. Hope I wouldn’t hurt him or perhaps hope that I would love him. Either way, it was after everything humans had done to him. A dog’s hope couldn’t be crushed like a human’s could. Sometimes, I wished I was a dog.

“You’re even more worthless than shit because at least you can turn shit into fertilizer.” Those words, my dad’s words, bounced around my head.

I internally balked, and my stomach twisted into knots. Thinking of my “family” was never a good thing. I needed to focus today. The last time I saw any of them was twelve years ago when my dad finally kicked me out. I was only fourteen at the time. If I told anyone, which was rare, they automatically assumed it was because I was gay. Truth was, even I didn’t know I was gay until a few years later. My dad just hated me. He never physically hurt me, but mental abuse could be just as severe. Sometimes, if done properly, more damage is done.

What hurt the most wasn’t my dad’s constant insults; it was my mother standing there, acting like everything was okay. She never defended me. Not once.

When it was just us, she was sweet and kind, but when dad was around, she ignored me. I never understood why. I was a good kid and made excellent grades. Every day I tried to make my dad happy, but nothing worked. Nothing I did was ever good enough.

“Stop it.”

I jerked, startled. “What?” The little dog snuggled against my chest and licked my chin. A paw dug into my balls.

“You’re thinking about your parents. Stop it.”

My mouth worked. “How did you…?”

“You curl in on yourself when you think about them. Like you’re trying to make yourself smaller or something. Sometimes you whine.” She turned into the warehouse parking lot. “They’re not worth it so stop.” She parked and looked at me. “They’re not your family anymore. We are.” She reached over to squeeze my knee, but a growl from the pup in my lap stopped her. “Damn dog.” She smiled, telling me she didn’t really mean it and got out.

I hugged the little dog close. She was right. Thinking about them wouldn’t do me any good. A whine pulled my attention to him. “It’s okay, Teddy Bear. I’m okay.” Teddy Bear? Where had that come from? His tail wagged, and I decided Teddy Bear was his name. It fit in an odd deformed way like one of those old teddies that’d seen playtime and the washer a few times too many. “Come on.” I gathered him up and zipped him inside my jacket, since he had no fur to protect him from the cold day. I got out with one arm underneath him for support.

Usually, I’d unload, but with my own precious cargo, I opted to head inside and organize the chaos. I began helping process all the dog’s information. Most were still awaiting a vet check and needed a collar with their identification barcodes to match their paperwork.

I didn’t have the heart to put Teddy Bear down. Instead, I found a piece of rope and used it as a belt to keep Teddy Bear in place while I went to help.

We had two vets volunteering their time to help us, along with a half a dozen vet techs. I picked up a stack of paperwork, paper hangers, and headed for the dogs. The first cage I came to held a little dog that looked like a Chihuahua mix. She was almost bald, and her skin looked raw.

The hooks for the paperwork always pissed me off. They tangled up in a metal knot, and it took me a second to get one free. I clipped one onto the cage and hung the dog’s future paperwork and medical records. A plastic collar was attached to each set of paperwork. I removed it and opened the cage. She instantly came to me, licking my outstretched hand.

“Hi, sweetheart.” I gave her a gentle pat and reached to put on a collar. She didn’t understand and reared back, crying. My heart constricted for the poor girl. Teddy Bear sniffed in her general direction, then looked at me. “I’m sorry,” I told her and closed the door to move on. Amanda was on the opposite end of the kennels, taking out dogs and their papers to transport them to the vet area.

Teddy Bear and I continued assigning dogs paperwork for well over two hours before I was finally finished. I sat in the middle of the floor completely uncaring if I was in anyone’s way. Exhaustion weighed me down, and a headache formed at the base of my head. My stomach gurgled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day except an apple before I came in that morning.

My jacket squirmed, startling me. Teddy Bear scratched the inside of my jacket, and I got the hint. I stood with a huff and swayed a little. Food was definitely in my immediate future. “Tammy!” I called, and the woman in question skidded to a stop.

“Yes?”

“Can you get me a leash? I need to take this guy outside.”

Tammy nodded and hurried off. Teddy Bear squirmed again. I shook my head and kneeled, then unzipped my jacket, tossing the rope into the corner. Teddy Bear jumped out and shook. He turned to me with a doggy smile and twirled with a bark.

“Okay, okay,” I said and petted the little pooch.

Tammy came back, holding out a leash. Teddy growled at her and cowered closer to me. “He needs to be seen and entered into the system,” she told me, and I nodded.

I knew that, but I couldn’t leave this little guy. “Come here.” Teddy Bear walked over and leaned against me. I put the leash on, and he stood completely frozen. His upper lip pulled back with a growl. He spun and bit the leash, trying his damndest to get free.

My first instinct was to comfort Teddy, but I knew that wasn’t what he needed. He had to work this out and calm down with the leash on. If I gave in now, he’d always be scared of a leash. That wouldn’t be good since a leash would prevent him from running into traffic or something.

Teddy eventually calmed and lay down, panting. “Come on. Come on,” I encouraged, but Teddy Bear wasn’t having it. He looked at me like I was crazy. A sigh broke free. I did not have the patience for this right then.

“Come on, boy.” A gentle tug had Teddy Bear fighting me all over again, but this time he quieted down more quickly than before.

Teddy Bear walked a step. “Good boy!” I praised, and he wagged his little tail, then took another step. With every step, I praised him, and he kept on walking.

We made it outside, and he relieved himself almost immediately. “What a good boy,” I told him, and he pranced on his back feet. I picked him up and put him in my jacket again where he sat, making himself comfy.

I went back inside, heading for the vet area. Other volunteers were seeing to the examined dogs’ water and food needs. Others were taking the dogs out for a potty break. Normally with this amount of dogs, the barking, whining, and crying was deafening, but this group was too quiet.

“Hey, Kash,” Angela said. She was one of the veterinarians helping us out. “Is he for me?” She nodded to my jacket.

“His name is Teddy Bear.” I unzipped my jacket, and Teddy almost fell out onto the examination table.

Angela smiled. “Named him, huh? Well, it fits.” She went to pet Teddy and he growled then snapped. Angela jerked back. “Harris? Can you bring me a muzzle in here?”

“No muzzles,” I told her. “I’ll hold him or something, but he’s not wearing a muzzle ever again.”

Angela nodded and put on her stethoscope. I held Teddy’s head while Angela performed her examination and gave him his shots. Poor Teddy whined, cried, snarled, snapped, and wiggled around, but he never bit me.

“Well,” Angela said with a huff, “other than his little personality disorder and his skin, he’s a pretty healthy little Pomeranian-poodle mix, three to four years old.” Angela jotted something down in Teddy’s file. “With a little weight and some medicated shampoo, he should be fine.”

Teddy jumped into my arms and started licking my chin. “That’s really good news.”

“The other volunteers told me about you with that little guy, in your jacket all day. You should adopt him. You’re the only one he seems to like anyway.”

The thought hadn’t occurred to me. Teddy put his paw on my chest, and our gaze connected. In all my years of working at the foundation, I’d never adopted one of our rescues before. This little dog had gone through a lot, and the least I could do was offer him a home.

“I think I will.”

“Then this is yours.” Angela handed me Teddy’s new medical file with a smile. “Hang on.” She left, then returned with a bag a few minutes later. “Here’s his medicated shampoo. Give him a bath tonight, then every other week for the next two months to treat his skin. An oatmeal soak every week wouldn’t hurt. I’ll see you, Kash.”

“Thanks, Angela.” I walked out with my new little guy and headed out to where the other dogs were. The stairs leading to the offices creaked as I went in search of Terry, the foundation’s founder. I’d met Terry a year after my dad kicked me out. He had taken me in and raised me as his own son.

I found him in the conference room, ending a call. “Hey, Terry.”

He turned, and I couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. “Yeah?” Terry gathered some paperwork and a notepad. “Who’s that? He’s cute.”

“This is Teddy Bear.” I proudly showed off the little pup. He wagged his tail and tried to lick my face. “I wanted to talk to you about adopting him.”

Terry paused. He looked at me and Teddy Bear. “Are you sure?”

I hitched Teddy Bear up a bit. “Positive.”

Terry smiled and shook his head. “He’s all yours. You can fill out the paperwork tomorrow. Go home, Kash. You were here late last night and before me this morning. Get some rest.” Terry walked past me, holding all of his papers, and patted me on the shoulder. Teddy growled, but I hushed him.

“Mean-ass little thing,” I whispered and turned around, heading for my desk. My keys sat where I left them. As I snatched them, I knew I was forgetting something.

My gaze landed on the call desk nearest mine. Tracey. I looked around, but I didn’t see her anywhere and I didn’t remember her being downstairs. I had wanted to talk to her about a call she received that morning. The word liger came up, but I could’ve been hearing things.

My eyes began to burn, and I blinked them a few times, but it did no good. I felt drunk, the sleepy kind of drunk. Maybe Terry was right, some rest would do me some good. I pocketed my keys and snatched my phone, then headed for the stairs.

Once downstairs, I spotted Amanda. “Hey, I’m leaving,” I told her.

She blew a piece of hair out of her face. “I was about to tell you to get your ass out of here.” Amanda cautiously hugged me to avoid Teddy.

We said our goodbyes, and I left out of the side door. My old beat-up car sat in the sun. That had to be bad for my peeling paint, but I wasn’t sure. Fishing my keys out of my pocket proved harder than it should’ve been. One of my keys was stuck in a hole in my pocket.

A loud rip sounded when I wrenched my keys free. “Damnit.” Oh well, it’d match just about everything else I owned.

I opened the door with my key, then reached inside to unlock the back door. Teddy Bear didn’t like it when I put him in the backseat and tied his leash to the seat belt. I climbed inside, started my car, and sat a minute, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

My headache pulsed at the base of my neck, and my stomach was trying to eat itself. “That cannot be the time,” I groaned. It could not be dinner time already, but according to my clock, it was.

I backed out of my parking spot and headed for home. The light at the corner turned red, and I glanced around. Resting my head back, I pondered which pet store I should stop at to get Teddy some basic supplies. There was that Pet Mart at the corner before my apartment. The parking lot also had a burger place where I could stop.

The light turned green, and some fifteen minutes and four lights later, I came to a stop in Pet Mart’s parking lot. I got out and fetched Teddy from the back.

I zipped him up in my jacket again since he seemed to like it there. Teddy settled with his little head poking out the top. Once inside, I grabbed a shopping cart and went browsing for the basics.

Our first stop was collars. “What color?” The entire aisle was lined with different hues and patterns. I wasn’t much on complicated designs, but the blue one with yellow paw prints was pretty darn cute. “What do you think of this?” I asked for no reason whatsoever while picking the collar up to show it to him. Teddy just wagged his tail. “Well, you’re no help.”

Teddy just sat there, looking adorable. I picked the color along with a six-foot leash and a harness for car rides. Having his collar, harness, and leash match wasn’t necessary. Besides, the matching leash was nine dollars more than the plain blue one.

Next I needed to pick some nice bowls. There were so many kinds, I didn’t know which to pick. I settled on the stainless steel ones since those were the kind we used at the foundation.

“What food do you like?” Teddy just looked at me. “Why do I even bother?” I found the food aisle and picked an organic brand along with some treats by the same company. “You’re going to eat better than me.”

On the way to the checkout line, I passed some crates. Should I get him one? No, he’d spent too much time locked up already, and I wasn’t about to do that to him, too. A cute display of discounted dog beds caught my eye near the registers.

“You’ll just end up in bed with me anyway,” I told him. “But you’ll need a place when I’m gone.” Teddy just grunted and settled into my jacket. I rolled my eyes and picked out a nice red bed.

ID tags snagged my attention in the check-out line, and I picked out a nice black bone.

When it all was said and done, I walked out of there ninety-two dollars and some change poorer. I put Teddy in the back along with everything I’d bought. Next, we went through the burger place’s drive-through, and I ordered a double-meat meal with large everything for myself and one kiddy cheeseburger for Teddy. He deserved a nice little treat.

We made it to my run-down apartment without catching any lights. How that happened I had no idea since; all street lights hated me.

I got out and opened the back door. Teddy sat in the seat, looking like a dapper young man waiting for his butler to fetch him. I shook my head and rummaged through the bags in search of his new collar and leash.

He looked rather handsome in his blue collar. Teddy jumped from the car immediately, trying to sniff the grass. I somehow managed to get all the bags along with the food. Locking up the car was hard, considering I was overrun with packages.

For the zillionth time, I was happy my apartment was on the first floor. Originally, I had wanted a fourth floor apartment, but then I sobered up with all those stairs. Mine was the very middle apartment on the left, apartment 7-3.

When I finally manhandled the door open, I nearly stumbled over myself. “Welcome home, Teddy.”

I set the bags down in my tiny kitchen, then set Teddy free to explore his new home. My new little dog surprised me by jumping onto the sofa, declaring it his. He stared at me with a look of pure cuteness.

“How about we eat?”

Teddy wagged his tail as I came over with our food. I sat next to him and set out his burger next to him and tore it into tiny pieces. Teddy waited like the best dog in the world, not eating until I turned my attention to my own food.

I almost hummed, the burger was so good. It probably wasn’t all that great, but to me, it was the best thing I’d ever had. That was what I get for not eating all damn day.

Teddy finished before I did. “Don’t get used to this,” I told him while waving a fry at him. “This is a once a year thing. Like, for your birthday, which is today from now on.” Teddy’s tail waved back and forth, and he licked his chops.

I shook my head. This little dog was already worming his way into my heart. After eating, I needed to set his bowls out and give him a bath. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t like that part since Sugar Pop gave him baths all the time, but it needed to be done.

“Will you hate me after a bath?” I asked him. All he did was lick his muzzle and lay down with a whine. “I certainly hope not.” Teddy rolled over and waved at me. “Silly dog.”

Teddy fell asleep while I finished my burger and fries. I didn’t blame him; he’d had a long day. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed with Teddy and sleep. At least now I wouldn’t be alone anymore. I sat a minute, simply watching him. His little chest rose and fell, and his front paw twitched every once in awhile.

He was so damn cute, and I was totally in love.


	2. Found

Teddy Bear sat in my lap while my jaw clenched with anger. I was at another meeting at the foundation’s headquarters along with all the other paid employees and our most dedicated volunteers.

Instructions and schedules were already given out concerning the dogs we had acquired the day before. What pissed me off was Terry. He’d broken the news that we couldn’t perform anymore rescues until all of the dogs were placed in no-kill shelters or foster homes. We were at capacity, and it pissed me off.

We needed a bigger facility.

Amanda sat next to me, doodling on some paper. She didn’t look happy.

Terry called the meeting to an end, and I just sat there, petting Teddy. He stretched in his sleep and grunted. “That dog loves you,” Amanda said without looking up from her doodle.

I shrugged. “He’s a good boy.” Teddy perked up, his little ears rising and his tail wagged. He knew I was talking about him.

“Did he sleep with you?”

“Duh.”

Amanda laughed and took a deep breath. “Hey, Tracey is here. We should ask her about that liger call yesterday.”

This time, it was me who perked up. Well, damn, I’d completely forgotten about that. I picked up Teddy and put him down on the floor. “Come on.”

Tracey sat at her call desk, going down a list of shelters and foster homes for the dogs. “Tracey?” I called before she picked up the phone again. “Can you tell us about that liger call yesterday?”

“Apparently the liger’s name is Sampson and is owned by a—” Tracey paused to shuffle through some papers set aside on her desk. “—Mark Whitman. The caller said Whitman keeps the liger in his backyard.”

“Did the caller leave their name?” Amanda asked while eyeing Teddy Bear at my feet. I shook my head with a small smile. He wasn’t going to do anything to her. At least I didn’t think he would.

Tracey smirked. “Rita Garrett and she left her number and address.” She handed me her notes.

“Thanks, Tracey.” I turned and sat at my desk with my ancient computer to do a little digging.

Teddy was on his hind legs, demanding I put him in my lap. I caved, of course. I logged into my account on the foundation’s server and typed ‘liger’ in the search option.

My eyes bulged.

We had over three dozen calls about Mark Whitman and his liger Sampson. The worst thing was, nothing had been done about it, and there were no accompanying notes. The complaints ranged from lack of care to roaring to gunshots fired.

Nausea bubbled my gut. Gunshots? Was Whitman hurting Sampson?

Teddy grunted when I snatched him up and headed off to Terry’s office. Amanda scurried behind, trying to keep up. I stormed into his office, interrupting whatever conversation Terry was having with Carl, another volunteer.

“We gotta talk.”

Terry’s face soured. “About?”

I explained Tracey’s call yesterday and what I’d found in our system. Terry sighed and rubbed his face. “Why hasn’t anything been done?” I demanded.

From the look Terry gave me, I was pretty sure he wanted to punch me in the balls. “Several reasons. We don’t have the funding, the space, the connections, the know-how, the equipment, or the housing for an animal that size. Besides!” Terry’s voice rose when I tried to interrupt him. “Whitman has all the permits for a liger.”

Well. Dammit. How could we help Sampson? “There has to be something we can do? Anything? What about investigating it, then handing the case off to some other rescue group?”

Terry looked defeated. “Do whatever you want, Kash. God knows I can’t stop you anyway.”

“I’m on it.” I whirled around to find Amanda in the doorway, shaking her head.

We made it to my desk where I set Teddy Bear down. “Only you could talk to Terry like that and get away with it. Any of us, he’d chew our asses off.” Amanda plopped in a chair next to my desk, far away from Teddy Bear.

I grimaced. “That’s a horrible mental picture.” Amanda shrugged. “I’m going to head out and investigate Whitman. Can you stay here and look up exotic cat laws or whatever? If I see something not right, maybe we can use the law to help us out and get Sampson out of there.”

“Sure thing,” Amanda said. “You’re taking that little monster with you, right?” She pointed at Teddy Bear like he was a venomous snake.

I pocket my keys and the paper Tracey had given me. My phone was in my car, where it did me a whole lot of good. “In the field? God no. He’s staying with Aunty Amanda.”

“Oh hell no,” Amanda went off, but I ignored her.

Teddy walked right up to me, his little claws clicked on the desk. “I’ll be back,” I told him and gave him a kiss on the head. “You be good, okay?” He stuck out his chin when I scratched him, and his back leg jiggled.

Amanda was still ranting. “Amanda!” She stopped mid-rant and glared at me. “Please? I can’t take him with me. He’ll have to stay in the car, and I’m not doing that to him.”

“No.” Amanda crossed her arms.

“Please?” I begged. “He’s had a hard life. I can’t put him in a kennel. Not after that.”

Amanda let out a long breath and rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, but if he bites me, you’re paying my medical bills.”

“He won’t. Thanks.” I kissed her cheek and walked off. As if to prove me wrong, Teddy Bear growled when Amanda took a step toward him.

“You owe me!” She shouted as the door closed behind me.

She was right, since Teddy seemed to hate everyone except me. I wasn’t exactly sure why that was, but it made me feel sort of good and a little important.

I left the warehouse and unlocked my car. Once inside, I slipped the key in the ignition, and my car promptly sputtered. “Come on.” I tried several more times until my crappy car finally turned over.

The trip out to Whitman’s was longer than I’d thought. It was a good thing I put gas in my car that morning, or my ass would be walking. I drove down a long stretch of road out in the middle of nowhere. A house was situated every five to seven miles or so. It seemed most houses were built facing each other on either side of the road.

I pulled to a stop in front of a quaint little house, belonging to Rita Garrett, across the street from Whitman’s. My binoculars, lying in the passenger seat, were old, but they still did their job. I scanned Whitman’s house through them.

“Damnit!” I hit my dash, ignoring the pain.

Whitman’s house was farther off the road than the others along the road. The paint was peeling off, and the yard was severely overgrown, but other than that, it looked in pretty good shape. What pissed me off was I couldn’t get a glimpse of the back. A tall sheet metal fence prevented anyone from seeing within.

I wanted to scream and kick, but I was too much of an adult for that. Unfortunately.

I sat a moment, composing myself before I felt civil enough to head toward Rita Garrett’s door. It was highly possible that I was jumping to conclusions regarding Sampson. The shots might be Whitman scaring off other animals or hunting. I snorted at that. There was no way other predators or a prey animal would be anywhere near that house with Sampson there.

A deep breath felt good and cleansing.

My keys jingled when I got out and took the five steps up to Mrs. Garrett’s front porch. I knocked and waited while looking over at Whitman’s house.

The door opened, gaining my attention. “May I help you?” an elderly woman asked, holding a spoon covered in what looked like batter.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m Jude Kash from the We Are One Foundation. You called yesterday.” I handed her one of my cards.

“Oh!” Her face lit up with a smile. “Come in. Come in. Come in.” She motioned me inside and shut the door. “Please have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Her home was cozy and well kept. The decor wasn’t exactly in the grandma category, but it was a little dated. She did have a flat screen and the latest gaming system. Points to her for that.

She fiddled with her hair. “Give me one moment.” Her spoon whirled around with her, and I was afraid the batter would slop off.

I nodded. “Of course.” The couch practically swallowed me whole when I sat down, and I briefly wondered how an elderly woman got up from this thing. It’d be a workout and a half getting up.

Rita returned without her spoon but with a plate full of cookies and a glass of milk. “I’m so sorry. I was making a pie for my daughter’s birthday.” She sat the cookies and milk on the table in front of me, then parked herself on the edge of a sitting chair. “Please help yourself.”

“Oh, thank you so much, and it’s not a problem at all.” Emotional pain momentarily constricted my breathing. I had never had a mother who’d do something like that for me. I cleared my throat in an attempt to buy a few precious moments to push my distressed feelings aside. “I came regarding your call about Sampson.” I kept a false polite smile. Thinking of my mother wouldn’t do me or Sampson a damn bit of good right then.

Rita tsked. “That poor animal.” Her hands folded in her lap, and she shook her head as if upset. “I hear him late at night, roaring. My walls shake!” Her eyes went wide before continuing. “It sounds like he’s upset or in pain. Sometimes it’s like he’s howling. I just feel so sorry for him and can’t help but think he needs a new home.” She picked at invisible lint as if seeking something to do or perhaps a distraction from her worry over Sampson.

Hearing her talk about Sampson set my teeth on edge. “Have you ever seen Sampson?”

She shook her head no. “Never, and I’ve lived here since before Mark.”

“Do you know how long Mr. Whitman has had Sampson?” I took a cookie for the sake of politeness. It was the best damn cookie I had ever had. The cookie almost melted on my tongue. I took a sip of ice cold milk and almost died of euphoria. She should open a bakery.

“Oh, well—” Rita stopped and counted on her fingers. “—I can’t remember for sure but a good while. At least six years, I’d say. I’ve called and called different people, but no one has ever done anything.” She looked disgusted. “You’re the first who’s come out that I know of. Will you help Sampson?”

Hearing that made me want to vomit, and that’d be a disservice to these cookies. “I’m certainly going to try.”

“You’re a good boy,” she said. “Even if you can’t get him out of there, I’d be willing to donate some money to get Sampson a new enclosure or something if needed.”

“Why—”

“You know, the only reason I know Sampson’s name is because I heard Mark shouting at the poor beast one night.” Rita seemed very upset by that.

“I’m very sorry.” My enthusiasm for her delicious cookies died in a stunning heap of concern for Sampson.

Rita patted my knee. “It’s not your fault, dear.”

“May I ask; Why would you donate for a new enclosure?”

Rita giggled a little. It was cute in an elderly person sort of way. “The only family I have left is my daughter and her family. I have a passion for animals and want to make a difference before I’m dead.” She laughed and rocked a little.

I frowned. “You could donate to animal shelters, nonprofits, and no-kill shelters.”

“Who said I didn’t?” Rita winked at me.

A blush heated my cheeks. She did have a point there. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.” Rita smiled gently with a twinkle in her eye. “Is there anything else regarding Sampson?”

Rita sat a moment in thought. “No, I don’t think so. I just want to see him happy.”

“We have that in common, ma’am.” I stood, probably very clumsily, and held out my hand. “Thank you so much for your time. If there’s anything else, may I come back?”

She shook my hand like a lady. “Of course you can and have some more cookies.” Rita motioned toward the door, and I led the way.

Once outside, I took a deep breath. “I’m going to talk to your other neighbors. When I finish, can I park my car where it is now while I talk to Mr. Whitman?”

Rita assured me that I could and made me promise I’d return with news of Sampson later tonight. I got in my car and visited every neighbor within twenty miles of Whitman and Rita’s house in both directions. All of them basically said the same thing Rita had. Minus the generous offer to donate to Sampson.

I found myself where I started, in front of Rita’s house, hours later. My stomach grumbled since the only thing I’d had to eat was a banana for breakfast and the cookie Rita gave me. I’d hate to ask Rita for something to eat, but I just might have to. No, Sampson first.

I got out of the car and walked across the street to Whitman’s. The entrance to his driveway scared me out of my mind. It was overgrown and some of the weeds were taller than me. I swallowed, trying to build my courage.

The sun would set in the next two to three hours, throwing this scary place into horror movie zone.

“Holy Christ!” A deep loud roar punctured the air. I swore the ground vibrated with it. I clutched at my heart and took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

Another roar followed the first, but this one was different. It was heartbreaking and sad, as if the animal knew how bad his situation was. I knew some people thought animals didn’t know, but I knew different. They did know. I’d seen it in every animal I had ever helped to rescue.

This had to happen now. I put one foot in front of the other, almost marching, down the drive to Whitman’s door. Distance wasn’t my strong suit, but if I guessed, this drive was at least half a mile long. The entire time, Sampson kept roaring and mewling. The closer I got, the more I noticed a rancid smell. What was that?

A walking path trampled into the grass came into view near Whitman’s house. It looked like an animal trail. I swallowed and took a step back. There was no way I was walking through that. I loved all animals, but bugs creeped me the hell out, and bugs would definitely infest me in there.

Sampson roared again. I had to do this for him. There was no other option. I steeled myself and marched through the tall grass as fast as I could without actually running.

I popped out the other side and gawked. There was a nice little well-kept sitting area that led up to Whitman’s porch. Dare I call it homey? His front porch was well kept but dated, all the way back to the seventies. It was all straight-line architecture and odd green color combinations. It could use a few new coats of paint, but other than that not too bad.

The steps almost screamed as I walked up. “Jesus.” A board in the porch’s floor squeaked with my weight. Another roar from Sampson shook me to my core. I swallowed, steeling myself to knock on Whitman’s door. Nerves and fear twisted my insides into knots. My palms were sweaty and clammy. What the hell was wrong with me? It wasn’t like this was my first time investigating wrongdoing.

My fist rose, shaking as I knocked on Whitman’s door. It seemed loud, very loud in the quietness of this place, but I heard nothing from within the house. A breeze ruffled my hair and the surrounding tall weeds. It was like a wave in a sea of green.

Another roar rattled my bones. Each roar seemed to splinter my sanity and crack my soul. I wanted to comfort Sampson so badly it almost hurt.

Footsteps sounded inside. The door wrenched open, revealing a man with a scruffy beard who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. If I didn’t know any better, I’d label Whitman as ruggedly handsome, but I did know better, he didn’t respect another life.

“What do you want?”

My voice froze when another roar from Sampson pierced my soul. It knocked the wind out of me, preventing speech. An ache formed in my gut like a day-old sucker punch.

“Well?” Whitman was getting agitated with me, but I just couldn’t… “You okay?” He seemed a little more concerned than before. His dark eyes swept over me, inspecting. My body twitched with the need to run and hide in the tall grass. I didn’t want this man looking at me.

“I— My— Um…” Another roar had me fighting to keep myself from cringing. “M-my car broke down, and I was wondering if I could use your phone?” Why did I say that? That was the worst lie of all lies ever. It was stupid. It was unrealistic. It was idiotic. It was—

“Sure, come on in.” It was the lie that got me in his door. Which was the exact place I didn’t want to be, but I found myself following him. My body was on autopilot, and I couldn’t stop myself.

He waited for me to enter, then closed the door, cutting off my route of escape. Whitman led me through the entryway and into his living room. “Phone’s there.” He pointed to an end table, sitting next to a large armchair. It was dark in there, not just the decor but the essence of this place.

“Thanks.” I sounded like a damn child.

Whitman grunted and left me in the living room to disappear into what I assumed was the kitchen.

Another roar fractured my soul. My fist clenched at my chest while my other blindly searched for something to hang onto. It was as if I felt Sampson’s pain, his heartache from confinement. My head swam with it, and my stomach twisted in knots. I couldn’t breathe. Panic mangled my insides.

Sampson roared again, the walls and floor shook with his vocal power. Pain skirted along my chest, clenching my heart in its claws.

I fought with myself and finally drew in a breath. With each lungful of air, my panic tamed. Tamed enough for me to actually notice the window I stood in front of. A large, heavy-looking chain wrapped around a giant tree caught my attention. The chain was laid out in a circular pattern, the other end disappeared into the surrounding trees.

The virgin twilight made it impossible to see into the depth of the trees, but I knew he was there. Cool glass felt damp under my touch. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered to him. “I’m going to help you.”

Half of Sampson’s face appeared in the light, the other half shrouded in heavy shadow. I felt like Sampson wasn’t just looking at me. He looked into my very soul, seeing a part of me I didn’t let anyone see, not anymore. My father made sure I never let anyone see my innermost self. Even Amanda and Terry never got this close to me.

I shuffled closer, wanting to be nearer to Sampson. It was stupid since there was a window and wall there, but it didn’t matter. I had to get to him.

“Ow!” A hard grip on my bicep felt like a python constricting my arm. Sampson roared, this one was filled with anger and pure unbridled rage. I watched in slow motion as Sampson burst from his hiding place, his lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. He charged with every intention of smashing through the window. Sampson jumped, his claws fully extended with murder in his eyes.

The large cat jerked midair, then dropped to the soiled ground. He roared and snapped his jaws. His deadly claws scraped along the ground, wounding the earth. Sampson wanted to help me. He wanted Whitman’s hands off of me just as badly as I did. I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did.

“What the hell are you doing?” Whitman demanded with a shout next to my ear. Sampson was so loud, I couldn’t hear myself think.

It wasn’t my own fear that prevented me from speaking, it was Sampson’s blind rage. The liger wanted Whitman dead for touching me, for hurting me. He continued his mad thrashing, and I hoped the chain would give way. I knew he’d kill us both, but at the moment, I’d rather die than have Whitman touching me. I couldn’t explain, but Whitman’s touch was like acid. What physically hurt was his grip, but his spirit was suffocating me, making my head swim.

Whitman jerked me.  _ “Well? _ ” he demanded and started dragging me toward the front door. “You just wanted to see my liger.” He said something else, but I couldn’t hear what it was because of Sampson’s roaring.

His constant bellowing along with Whitman touching me threw me off center. I was off balance and a little out of it. I felt drugged or drunk, maybe both; I wasn’t sure. Whitman hadn’t given me anything, had he? No, I was positive he hadn’t. Right?

Whitman yanked the door open, manhandling me outside. “Get the hell off my property!” I wasn’t sure if he was shouting because he was angry or because of Sampson’s constant noise.

I was falling, but at least, Whitman wasn’t touching me anymore. The darkened night sky was beautiful behind the glittery stars. My gut dropped, and I snapped back into reality. I was fucking falling.

The fall seemed in slow motion until that moment. Pain flared through my left shoulder and down into my arm and back. A raw scream grated my throat when my shoulder made a very unhealthy cracking-ripping sound.

Sampson’s deep and powerful roar was so loud I felt it in the ground. The vibration jarred my painful shoulder.

“Don’t ever come back.”

“Aw!” Black spots took over my vision while my stomach flared in agony from Whitman’s sucker kick. A shove knocked me on my back.

The stars above twirled, leaving light tracks behind, mixed with black tendrils. Whitman’s face blocked my twirling lights. “Come here again, and I’ll shoot you.” He looked me over once, then disappeared inside with a slam of the door.

I lay there a moment, waiting for the pain to subside. Rolling to my right wasn’t the smartest thing I’d had that day. Really, I didn’t think moving was the best idea, but I had to get up before Whitman came back. If he did and grabbed my left arm, I’d be in a world of hurt.

When I had been in high school, I fell from the bleachers after a football game and dislocated that shoulder. I’d never told Terry, I thought he’d be angry, and I’d never had it looked at. A friend’s sister was in the beginnings of nursing school, and she popped it back in for me. It was free so I wasn’t about to complain. Less than a year later, I was in a drunk-driving accident and tore the same shoulder up pretty bad.

Now I was lying in the grass with my left shoulder on fire. Grass was softer, my ass. It hurt so damn bad I didn’t even notice Whitman’s kick to my gut anymore. Several deep breaths later and the pain hadn’t lessened.

My good fist clenched in the grass. “Fuck.” I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up, trying my best to keep my arm cradled against myself.

Once on my feet, I had to blink a few times to steady my twirly vision. Sampson mewled, and I knew it was for me. I blinked again and looked toward the house. “Ehn.” Fear seized my chest. Whitman was watching me through the front window.

I averted my gaze and went through the grass shoot, popping out the other side. Sampson made a noise that was almost a cry, and my heart went out to him. The garage stood as a barrier between me and getting to Sampson.

There was no way I could get to him from there. I walked back up the drive about half way before stopping and taking several deep breaths. The grass swayed, mocking me, and I suppressed a whimper.

Swallowing, I steeled my nerves. I took one step, then another, then another, and another until I was tramping a path into the grass. My path would be just as obvious as Whitman’s near his door. I stopped and kneeled, trying to fluff up the grass so it didn’t look like I had trampled in there.

A hiss broke free, and I went down to my knees. Pain slithered from shoulder up into my neck. Sampson cried in the distance. I wanted to get to him, right then.

I managed to stand, and I will not admit swaying, then plowed through the grass toward what I hoped was the barrier fence.

My blind fumbling around Whitman’s overgrown yard was marked by Sampson’s constant crying and my throbbing shoulder. “Shut up!” I heard Whitman bellow. A shiver wracked my body in anticipation of a gunshot, but none came.

I hated how Whitman yelled at Sampson; it wasn’t right. The way Whitman kept him wasn’t safe. I didn’t get a good look at his living space, I was a little distracted by Sampson, but I was willing to bet his living conditions were deplorable.

A door slammed, signaling Whitman going back inside. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and started exploring again. I walked for another five minutes or so before my hand finally found something metal.

Relief temporarily zapped my strength. I rested my forehead against the cool steel and just breathed for a moment. I fought to ignore the pain in my shoulder. The thought of finding out what was wrong with it scared me. It wasn’t separated, which left other horrible possibilities I really didn’t want to think about right then. My only sort of saving grace was I now had health insurance and could afford a doctor’s visit.

Sampson let loose a rolling, heavy bass roar; it reminded me of mother lions calling for their young. He was calling me, I just knew it. I followed the fence in the opposite direction of Whitman’s house, hoping the fence eventually ended. The metal vibrated under my hand with Sampson’s call for me.

“I’m trying, boy,” I told him. Well, I told the air but pretended he could hear me.

A door slammed open. “Shut! Up!” Whitman shouted. Something loud, booming, and shocking disturbed the air, soon followed by another shot. I collapsed to my knees. A shot of adrenaline killed the pain in my shoulder. Whitman had fired a gun.

Was Sampson okay? Was he hurt? How could Whitman do that? I didn’t understand how someone could treat another living creature so poorly, let alone get away with it for so many years.

I took a deep breath and moved on. About thirty feet later, I tripped sideways, barely catching myself on the edge of the fence, almost slicing my palm open.

The smell of rotting carcasses was stronger back there where the fence ended and Sampson’s horror began. I swallowed back some vomit and headed for the dull light used to light Sampson’s area. It was the only source of illumination besides one light inside Whitman’s place, way on the other side of the house.

It became more apparent the closer I got, that the complaints about Whitman’s treatment of Sampson weren’t even close to the true horror. Everywhere Sampson could walk was littered with bones, rotting meat, and feces. The only clear area was inside a large lean-to shelter. A kiddy pool provided Sampson with contaminated water. The pool looked like it was never cleaned. Green sludge coated the surface, and a constant buzz of mosquitoes clogged the air around Sampson’s water supply.

The smell was so horrid I fought my gag reflex and a coughing fit. Not only would vomiting or coughing hurt like hell with my shoulder, but it’d alert Whitman to my presence. I shouldn’t be trespassing, but I had to see Sampson.

I wanted to cry for Sampson. How could he live like this? I shouldn’t say that because it wasn’t living; it was existing.

Sampson’s mewling threatened to bring me to my knees. I had to make him feel better.

The chain disappeared behind a large tree, but I couldn’t see Sampson. I swallowed and stepped to the edge of Sampson’s personal hell. If I walked on all that, I was sure I’d sink or trip.

Flies hovered over the ground almost like a living blanket. I wanted to vomit.

Metal clinking caught my attention. Sampson’s large massive form appeared from behind the tree, and he was looking right at me. It was the first time he’d been quiet since Whitman tossed me out of the house.

He moved toward me. If not for the chain and the crunch of bones under his feet, I’d have never known he was moving. He was almost eye level with me, he was so large. His coat was dull instead of the brilliant golden tan it should’ve been. I wasn’t sure if this was from lack of nutrition or just dirt. Perhaps both?

Sampson was almost to me, but I couldn’t back away, I knew I should. He was a powerful unpredictable animal and could easily hurt or kill me, but he wouldn’t do anything to me.

His chain tightened, and Sampson stopped just out of paws’ reach from me. He sniffed the air in my direction, his whiskers pushed forward, and began to purr softly. “Hey, boy.” His ears perked up. “How are you?” He chuffed and lay down in the muck.

I inwardly cringed for him. That had to be uncomfortable. “You okay?” His head tilted, and one ear twitched. He was so damn cute.

Lowering myself, I bit back my pained moan from my shoulder. Sampson chuffed and tried scooting closer to me. “I’m okay,” I told him, even though it was probably a lie. He chuffed again, and I somehow thought Sampson understood I was lying.

Sampson almost whined and stretched out his paw toward me. “Thanks, boy.” Sampson’s honey eyes looked sad. I wanted to comfort him, but fear kept me from reaching out to him. Would he hurt me?

One look into Sampson’s eyes and I knew he wouldn’t. I reached for his paw, a paw much larger than my hand, without hesitation. His coat wasn’t coarse, but it wasn’t exactly soft either. Sampson whined and rested his massive head on his other paw. “I’m going to help you. I promise.” Sampson huffed. “And when I do, I promise I’ll pet you as long as you want.” Sampson perked up with what I dared label as hope in his eyes. “How does that sound?” He chuffed and pulled on his chain.

A smile broke my melancholy mood. He was the most expressive animal I’d ever come across. “I think you’ll like that.” I patted his paw and continued a soft scratch. Sampson’s purr turned into a deep continuous rumble. He closed his eyes and let out a deep cleansing breath, settling into the bone- and feces-covered ground.

Something rough pulled my gaze from Sampson’s relaxed face to his paw. A bare patch of skin felt odd. Squinting wasn’t helping me see any better. Why did people do that anyway? Shifting a little gave me a better angle for the light.

A ragged scar down Sampson’s wrist and over his paw told of a traumatic injury. “What happened, huh?” I asked for absolutely no reason at all. Sampson let out a sigh, and I laughed. “Would you answer if you could?” Had Whitman hurt Sampson? If he had, then I was sure it’d happened more than once.

Sampson shifted a little, allowing him to stretch his paw closer. His constant purring was relaxing and soothing. The stars above were beautiful out there. Sitting there with Sampson gave me the most peace I’d felt in a long time. If I could lie down and sleep, I would, but Sampson’s living conditions prevented that.

I sat with Sampson until my eyes started burning from lack of sleep. The last thing I wanted to do was leave him there, but I had to go home to Teddy and get up in the morning for work, not to mention squeeze in a doctor’s appointment somewhere. At the very least, I didn’t notice the smell or constant buzzing of insects anymore. “I’m sorry, Sampson.” The cat woke up with a start. “I gotta go. I’m sorry.”

My knees ached, but I made it to my feet with a huff. Sometimes, I felt damn old. Sampson stood, tugging on his chain. “I’ll come back,” I promised. Sampson pulled harder, causing the chain to creak. My heart ached for Sampson. I reached for him, but the distance was too great to touch. “Promise.”

The way he was staring at me stirred my soul.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I turned and walked away. Sampson immediately started chuffing and mewling, basically ripping out my heart. My path in the grass was enough to find and follow out of there. The entire time, Sampson kept on. For every step I took, Sampson seemed to get louder as if calling for me. I hated leaving him, but I had to get home.

The end of my path came into view and I popped out onto Whitman’s drive. My whole body itched from the grass. I felt like thousands of bugs were crawling all over me, giving me the creeps. God, I needed a shower and a doctor, but I should probably shower first.

My trek to the car took less time than I thought it would. Now where did I put my damn keys? “Excuse me, sir?”

“Holy Christ!” I jumped, clutching my heart. My shoulder announced a protest at my sudden action. Two uniformed police officers approached. Light punched my eyes from a flashlight held by one of the officers. “Yeah?”

“Mr. Whitman called about a trespasser on his land. He told us to wait out here until you appeared.”

My stomach sank. “Why would cops waste their time waiting for someone like me?”

The cop with the light made a tsking sound while the other took a more aggressive stance. “Sir, you’re under arrest”—the one without the light said as he approached—”for trespassing on private land. Anything you say can and will…” His voice faded into the back of my conscious. I’d heard it all before once or twice.

Cuffs clicked on my right wrist. “Please not behind? Whitman hurt my shoulder when he shoved me out the door.” The officer took one good look at me and nodded. He was rather gentle when cuffing my left wrist, but pain still flared. I hissed and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Sorry,” the officer said. He led me to the police cruiser, opened the door, and helped me inside. I sort of sank into the seat in exhaustion.

Both officers climbed inside. “Do you need a doctor?” the one who held the light asked.

I blinked a few times, trying to clear the burning of much needed sleep. “I think a doctor would be in my shoulder’s best interest since I’ve hurt it before.”

“We’ll take you to the hospital before jail,” the driver and technically my arresting officer said.

I closed my eyes. “Thanks.”

“Eh,” the driver said as he drove off, “you didn’t give us any trouble.”

I frowned. Did the officer just admit that they’d deny someone medical help based on their cooperation? Well, wasn’t that just fucking fantastic.


	3. “How do you feel about committing a felony?”

“Okay, Mr. Kash.” My ER doctor, whose name I couldn’t pronounce, jammed X-rays up against the backlight. “Nothing looks broken but”—a ‘but’ where a doctor was concerned was never a good thing—”from your restricted movement and the significant swelling, I’m almost positive there’s soft tissue damage.” Well duh, dumbass. Doctor Whoever needed a medical degree for that spectacular diagnoses? “I recommend you see an orthopedic surgeon within the week.”

I rolled my eyes. “I figured that much.”

My arresting officers chuckled in the corner. I sighed and settled more into the hospital’s ER bed. The sling the doctor gave me itched my arm, and I was hungry as hell.

“Excellent.” Doctor Whoever jotted something on a pad. “I’m prescribing some pain medication for you to take as needed.”

I quirked a brow. “I’m going to jail. They won’t let me take pain meds whenever I want. It’s currency in there.”

Doctor Whoever had the decency to look chastised or embarrassed. I was good and happy either way. “Well, when you’re out.”

“Don’t have money for bail.”

I wasn’t sure if it was my winning attitude or what, but Doctor Whoever scowled at me before turning and leaving.

“Kid, I like your spunk,” Officer Dimes, my arresting officer, said.

“So do I.” Officer Parker leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

Officer Dimes walked over while taking out the cuff key. He loosened the cuff a little and patted my good shoulder. “Why were you on Whitman’s land? Off the record.”

“Off the record?” Leaning forward, I directed my question to Officer Parker.

He nodded. “Off the record.”

“I work for the We Are One Foundation, it’s an animal rescue group, and I was checking out Whitman for animal abuse.”

“The liger,” Officer Dimes said.

“His name is Sampson,” I told them. “And he’s beautiful.”

Officer Parker perked up. “You’ve seen him?”

I nodded, my right fist clenched in anger, the cuffs clinked against the bed railing. “Yeah, and I have to help him.”

The officers shared a look. “You know, Parker, I think Whitman was just being his paranoid self and there wasn’t any trespasser.” Officer Dimes took off my cuffs while I gawked.

“Whitman is a crazy piece of work,” Officer Parker confirmed.

I blinked. “You guys are letting me go?”

Officer Parker pushed off the wall. “Help that liger,” he said before leaving.

“Seriously?”

Officer Dimes laughed as he put away his cuffs. “We’re animal lovers.” He shrugged. “We can’t legally step onto Whitman’s property without cause, but you can.” Officer Dimes held out his hand. “Promise you’ll do everything you can?”

I took his hand, and we shook. “I promised Sampson I’d help him.”

Officer Dimes laughed. “That’s even better than promising me.” With that, Officer Dimes exited the room, leaving me a little dumbstruck. Did that really just happen? How was I going to get home? Dammit.

I sat there, letting the fact that I was no longer under arrest sink in. Wait a minute, those officers had my keys. “Shit.”

“Excuse me?”

“Holy!” I nearly jumped out of bed.

Doctor Whoever shook his head. “The officers gave me these for you.” He handed me my keys. Thank God. “And here is your prescription and discharge papers. Sign them please.”

Signing the papers was a little awkward one-handed, but I managed well enough. “Isn’t this a nurse’s job?”

Doctor Whoever didn’t seem to appreciate my question and snatched my paperwork away before storming out. “So does this mean I can go?” I shouted.

No one answered me so I guessed that meant I could, right? Sighing, I slid from bed while pocketing my keys. I made my way to the front while dutifully ignoring a screaming man covered in some kind of fluorescent paint. I didn’t even want to know about that one.

The desk was pretty quiet when I approached. “Excuse me? Could I use your phone?”

A desk-jockey nurse looked at me like I was the scum under her shoes. “There’s one in the waiting room you can use.”

“Thanks.”

Children ran around the ER’s waiting room with little regard for the suffering of others around them. Thankfully, the phone wasn’t in use. Picking it up, I dialed a number I knew well.

It took several rings, but eventually, a very pissed off and grumpy voice said. “Ello?”

“Amanda?”

“Kash! Where the hell are you? Your murderous mutt hates me.”

I giggled and rubbed my eyes. “I’m at—” Where the hell was I? “Uh, Willowcreek Hospital. Can you come get me?”

“What the hell happened? Do I have to bring your devil dog?”

“I’ll explain when you get here.”

She sighed. “Fine. And! If your mutt bites me, we’re staying for stitches.” With that, Amanda hung up on me.

“Well, that was rude.”

I put the phone back and headed outside to wait for Amanda. I knew I had a while before she got there so I parked my tired ass on a bench near the ER doors. It was still a little surreal to me that I was in police custody less than ten minutes before but free now.

What did that say about Whitman that even police officers had heard about him? It said a lot, and it was all bad. I sighed and popped my neck.

Sampson’s piercing stare took over my mind’s eye. Just what the hell happened to me back there? It was as if every time Sampson communicated, I felt it in my soul. His pain was mine. When Whitman kicked me out, literally, I had to get to him, and I didn’t know why. Leaving him behind felt like I was abandoning a piece of myself.

I felt a connection to Sampson. It was so profound it scared me. His roars were like words. I understood him, and I had absolutely no idea how I knew what he was thinking or feeling, but I did. It was the weirdest thing I’d ever felt in my life. What was weirder, I knew I belonged to him. Come to think of it, I didn’t think weird quite covered it.

There had to be a way to get him out of there, quick. Terry, Amanda, and I had to figure out something. We just had to.

Exhaustion made the world tilt. I was so tired, I felt drunk. Maybe it was the pain meds Doctor Whoever gave me?

A car rolled up and stopped. The window rolled down and a familiar little fluff ball stuck his head out and barked. Teddy sniffed the air and looked around. The moment he saw me, his ears perked up and he started barking excitedly.

I got up and walked over. Teddy started jumping a little, trying to get to me. “Hey, boy.” I opened the door and slid inside. Teddy bolted into my lap and started licking my face.

“At least that little demon likes somebody,” Amanda grumbled. “Don’t even say hi to me.” She pulled forward and out of the parking lot. “I see how it is.”

“Hi, Mandy.”

She shivered. “Don’t call me that.” I laughed and started giving Teddy the attention he deserved. “What in the hell happened to you?”

A sigh escaped me before I could stop it, and I recalled the night’s events to her. Amanda gawked. “You’re shitting me?”

I shook my head no. It took me until then to remember car seats leaned back. Lowering that seat was my best decision of the night. Teddy curled up in my lap like a little ball.

“Am I taking you home?”

“Please? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Where’s your car?” I heard the car’s blinker.

Relaxing into the seat, I cuddled Teddy close. “At Rita’s. Do you think you could take me to get it tomorrow after work?”

Amanda snorted. “Sure thing.”

She was put out by me. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m used to you by now.”

Amanda had a point. “How pissed at me are you?” I wanted to know, but I was so damn tired I thought I’d fall asleep on her.

“Let’s just say you owe me B.I.G.”

“That bad?” My shoulder pulsed, but the pain meds kept it quiet.

“Mmmhmmm.”

I think I slurred the words “I’m sorry,” but it sounded like it came out as nonsense. My eyes closed in an attempt to ward off the itchy tired hurt.

“Kash?”

I jerked. “Hm? Wha’ happened?”

Amanda sat behind the wheel, looking tired but amused. “You’re home.”

I was? But we just left the hospital… My apartment building loomed, furthering my confusion. Amanda must’ve seen my bewilderment. “You fell asleep on the way here.”

“I do not remember that.”

Amanda laughed. “Just how drugged are you?”

“Pretty drugged and tired. Thanks, hun.” I opened the door but forgot about my seat belt. If Amanda wasn’t buckled down in her seat, she’d have fallen out of it laughing. “Shut up.” Getting out of the car was much harder when drugged, tired, and carrying Teddy.

“Should I be here in three hours to get you for work or wait until lunch?”

“Lunch.” I shut the door on her and made my way down the hall to my apartment.

Once inside, my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten all day. “Shit.” My pantry was embarrassingly barren. I needed to go shopping. Teddy squirmed, and I put him down. He immediately went for his water and food dish, making me feel like the worst doggy dad ever.

A headache slammed me hard. Well, that wasn’t good.

I fed Teddy, then found some Goldfish at the back of the pantry and munched on those on my way to bed. Crawling into bed was something close to euphoria. My bed was like a welcoming lover, cradling me after a long day apart.

I didn’t have the energy to remove my sling. All I could do was yank my blanket over myself. Teddy jumped up and nudged his way under the blanket to settle next to my chest. I hadn’t had a dog in a long time, but I was happy I had found Teddy.

The ceiling sort of twirled, and I knew my pain meds were about to seriously kick my ass.

* * *

“Teddy! Shut up!” I groaned and rolled over. “Dammit!” Pain lanced through my shoulder. I’d totally forgotten I hurt the damn thing the night before. Teddy zipped from my room to the living room, barking. He sort of reminded me of a rabbit on speed.

Another piercing bark hurt my ears. It was only then I realized someone was knocking at my door. A groan grated my throat as I sat up. Dull lingering pain settled in my gut from Whitman’s sucker kick.

Standing made me seriously reconsider leaving my bed. Everything ached. I think even my eyelashes hurt. Well, maybe not, but I was feeling last night hard right then.

“I’m coming!” Jesus, even shouting hurt. I sort of half walked half shuffled to the door. All the while, Teddy was zipping around like a ball of energy.

When I opened the door, Amanda stood there, holding a notepad. “You are not ready,” she said.

I blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Amanda rolled her eyes and stepped inside, practically shoving me out of the way. Teddy charged her, barking his little head off. “Back, spawn of Satan.” I think Teddy knew Amanda was talking about him because he snarled at her. “Go get ready.” Amanda motioned toward my room. “It’s lunch time. Devil dog has to pee. Shower. Clean clothes. Pain meds. Food. Work.”

I nodded. When Amanda laid things out like this, it was easiest for me to understand when waking up. “You take out the dog while I shower.”

If I wasn’t already injured, I was positive Amanda would’ve slapped me. She snatched Teddy’s leash off the futon. “I do this under extreme protest.”

I ignored her and walked off into my bedroom, heading for the bathroom. A hot shower sounded damn good right then.

Once in the bathroom, I was glad this arm sling had a Velcro clasp on the front strap. I took care of my morning bodily functions, then stripped. Some thirty minutes later, I was back in the living room, freshly showered and in clean clothes. The button-up shirt I wore flapped open as I walked since I needed Amanda to button it for me.

My shoulder felt much better, looser, after the warm shower, but I couldn’t get my sling on by myself. I guess I could have, but I saw no reason to fight with it when I had a perfectly able person I could ask for help.

All I did was hold out the sling, and Amanda dramatically sighed. She took it from me and buttoned up my shirt, then gently helped put on the sling. “Do you have meds?”

“A prescription.”

Amanda looked at me like I was an idiot. “Where is it?”

Oh damn. Where did I put that thing? “Uh, either in my pants or your car. I hope.”

“You hope?” She was copping a ’tude, but I knew Amanda didn’t mean anything by it. She walked past me to the bedroom. I assumed she was searching for my pain prescription. Amanda sometimes slipped into momma bear mode, and there was no stopping her.

Teddy danced on his hind legs, demanding attention. “Are you hungry?” I asked him, and he twirled. “Okay, okay.” I got him some food and fresh water. By the time I was finished, Amanda stood next to the door with a piece of paper in her hand.

“We’re dropping this off, then getting some food while it’s filled.”

I saluted her, and we walked out the door. “Hold down the fort,” I told Teddy, and we left.

“You’re nicer to that dog than you are to me,” Amanda said once we settled into her car.

“Eh.” I struggled with my seatbelt, but Amanda helped me. “He doesn’t talk.”

Amanda squeaked. “Do you know how jacked that is?” She rolled her eyes and left me to get in the car. I followed and she drove out of the aparttment’s gate. “Where do you wanna eat?”

I shrugged, then immediately regretted it. “Don’t care but not Italian.”

“Your shoulder hurting you?”

Nodding, I closed my eyes and reclined against the headrest. This was the last thing I needed right then. Maybe I could sue Whitman for assault? Probably not since I was on his property and all.

I heard the car’s blinker. “When’s your doctor’s appointment?”

Momma bear mode, activate. “Haven’t made one yet.”

The car slowed, then stopped. “So we’re setting that up over lunch, got it? Stay here. I’ll be back.” I had no problem with that at all.

My shoulder tweaked, and all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed with Teddy and sleep. Even work had little to no appeal, and that was a rare thing. Was I sick? No, just in pain and probably hungry without realizing it.

Amanda returned. The door shutting made my ears hurt. She didn’t say anything, and for that, I was grateful. The car moved, and I assumed she was heading for our lunch spot. Most people argue over where to go when one said they didn’t care, but Amanda and I didn’t. She accepted it and went wherever she wanted. I loved that about her.

“Hey.” Amanda shook me awake. “You fell asleep again.”

I lazily blinked, trying to clear my head. “Sorry.”

“Come on.”

I yawned and followed Amanda into the Chinese restaurant for some grilled veggies and fried rice. She held the door for me, and we waited in the hostess line. “Should we bring Terry something?” she asked.

I snorted. “That man probably hasn’t eaten since dinner last night.”

“Point.”

The hostess smiled and assumed two. With a nod from Amanda, she led us to a table in the back where it was a little quieter.

Over lunch, Amanda demanded more of the story about what happened the previous night. I answered as honestly as I could, but I wasn’t ready or maybe unwilling to admit my connection to Sampson. For some reason, I felt that was a private thing, like if I told her I’d betray Sampson or something. It was stupid, I knew, but that was how I felt.

With lunch over, Amanda insisted we pick up my prescription before heading into work. I wasn’t about to argue with her and sat quietly in the car, holding Terry’s lunch while she ran inside for my happy pills. And damn did I need those pills.

My shoulder was aching with an occasional stabbing agony. Right then, I was thankful Amanda insisted I set up my orthopedic appointment. The earliest the doctor could see me was Tuesday of the next week. That seemed like a decade away, but really it was only six days.

Amanda reappeared with my happy pills and a bottle of water. She tossed both at me, aggravating my bruised stomach. “Drug it up,” she said while she navigated the parking lot.

I sighed and fought with the medicine package and bottle cap. “You could be nicer to me,” I told her before downing my medicine and chugged some water.

“I what? Who took care of Satan while you ran off? Who came and got your ass at the hospital in the middle of the night? Who came and got you today? Who got your prescription filled? Who helped schedule your ortho appointment? Huh?” She wasn’t exactly mad at me, I didn’t think, but she was definitely irritated.

“You have a point. I’m sorry.”

She ignored me.

Our fifteen-minute drive to the office was endured in complete silence. I squirmed a little because of the awkwardness. Amanda didn’t seem to care all that much, which only made me wonder just exactly how mad she was at me.

Amanda pulled up to the foundation’s front parking lot, and we went inside. I found Terry upstairs in his office, pouring over paperwork and spreadsheets. “Lunch.” I held up the bag and set it on top of everything on his desk.

He scowled but instantly deflated. “Thanks, Kash. Chinese? Delicious.”

I sat in one of the swivel chairs in front of his desk. The back was curved a bit, almost cradling me. The awkward scoop pressed my shoulder forward, making it hurt. Stupid chair.

“So, what happened?” Terry dug into his food like a starving tiger.

I looked at him and took a deep breath. “You’re not going to like it.”

Terry took a bite. “From what Amanda told me and what I see—” He nodded at my shoulder. “—I’d have to agree.”

Squinting at him, I bit back my nasty retort. “Well, I left here and…” I told him everything I’d told Amanda, also not going into my connection to Sampson. For some reason, I still felt that was a private thing. Once finished, I sat a moment while Terry stared at me.

“Are you serious?” he asked, nearly dropping his plastic fork.

There was no way I was actually answering that. I couldn’t make something like that up if I tried. “Is there anything we can do for Sampson?”

Terry seemed to take my hint. The look he gave me answered my question before he spoke. We couldn’t do anything for the liger. “Since Whitman has all the permits and documentation, I looked into the laws.” Terry sat back, leaving his lunch. “State law doesn’t cover Sampson. Since he’s a hybrid, he’s not considered a wild animal, and therefore the laws don’t apply to him.” He put air quotes around  _ wild animal _ with a look of disgust.

I sat stunned. Anger chased away any lingering pain I felt after taking my medication. “That’s such bullshit.” My leg bounced in agitation.

“You don’t gotta tell me.” Terry looked pissed. “Do you think we could get him on animal abuse?”

“We’d need proof,” I said. “He called the officers but wouldn’t allow them on his land. Legally, they can’t enter without invitation or probable cause. Out there, people shoot guns all the time so we can’t use that.”

Terry nodded. “Do you think you can sneak on Whitman’s land again?”

“…I could. What are you thinking?”

A twinkle in Terry’s eye was either going to be very good or very bad for me. The last time he had that look, I ended up on a party float during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Time before that, I was arrested and jailed for public nudity.

“How do you feel about committing a felony?”

Called it. Very bad. Terry smirked—that combined with the twinkle wasn’t good. I was totally fucked and not in a good way.


	4. “I am a dumbass.”

I was the stupidest person on the entire planet. I had to be. There was no way around it. It was the only explanation for my situation right then.

The tall grass splayed out of my way as I weaved my way back through the mangled mess. I should go back, I should. There was no way this was going to work.

I was a dumbass.

But a dumbass with a heart so that had to count for something, right? Oh sure, it would matter plenty when Whitman shot my ass.

I took a deep breath, then immediately gagged from the horrible smell. Had it gotten worse since the last time I was here four days ago?

A stick bent under my weight, threatening to crack and alert Whitman to my presence. I swallowed and carefully picked up my foot and continued on. Jesus, that was close.

If this went bad, I was completely blaming Terry for this. We agreed he would bail me out and provide legal counsel if I got caught. I might’ve left out Whitman’s threat to shoot me if I ever came back. I was sure I could strong-arm Terry into paying for any medical bills too if it came down to it, if I wasn’t dead, then he’d be on the hook for my funeral and Teddy Bear.

The edge of the fence was close. Tonight, I could see it from the full moon. I peeked around the edge, trying to see Whitman’s house. Only one light was on, casting a stark glow over Sampson’s dilapidated area. I had no idea where the light was coming from within the house, but I had to risk it. I had to save Sampson.

Amanda, Carl, and Terry were waiting down the road for me. Once I had Sampson contained, I was to call them and let them know. Together, we planned on stealing the liger. Of course that depended on me tranquilizing Sampson first.

Creeping to the edge of Sampson’s personal hell was sort of surreal. It was as if I was there but not really there. Almost like I was inside of a video game and my soul—essence whatever—was sitting on a comfy sofa overlooking my progress and controlling every movement.

I stopped at the edge in a crouch. Sampson appeared from within the trees, looking straight at me. He took a few steps forward, his attention square on me. He chuffed, his whiskers splaying. “Hey, boy.” He perked and took another step. “I told you I’d be back.”

His ears flicked as if catching a sound, then flattened against his skull. A deep, low growl emitted from somewhere deep within the liger. Sampson’s once soft face tightened with rage.

Had I done something to upset him? He was so easy the last time I was there. Maybe Whitman had done something to him since I was there last? That’d certainly explain his hostility.

I needed Sampson to calm down before I could sneak-attack and tranquilize him. “Easy, Sampson, easy.” I tried soothing him, but it did no good.

He rushed forward, almost to the end of his chain and lashed out, but oddly enough not at me. At least, I didn’t think it was at me. However, that didn’t mean that I hadn’t almost peed my pants.

My attempt to calm him did no good. His hackles rose, and his growl deepened, vibrating the ground. I gasped, nearly falling to my knees. Sampson’s anger overwhelmed me. He was furious to the point of murder.

Sampson’s scarred paw lashed out again and another fury-filled roar pierced the night air. The chain groaned under the strain of Sampson’s strength. “Shhh, boy. Whitman will hear you.”

A subtle click froze me in place. My stomach sank, and my heart skipped a bit. That sound… “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I turned ever so deliberately with my hands raised. My left shoulder screamed at me, but I’d much rather not get shot than listen to my shoulder. Whitman stood some ten feet from me, armed with a compact 9 mm aimed directly at me.

Sampson at my back somehow comforted me despite the fact he could very easily kill me. Fear seeped into my muscles, making me forget all about my shoulder. I was more terrified of Whitman than Sampson, and that was crazy as fuck.

“Well?” Whitman prodded and took a step toward me while I took a step back toward Sampson. I still couldn’t say anything. The combination of my fear and Sampson’s pure rage left me unable to speak. Whitman smirked. “I told you I’d shoot you if you came back here.”

Sampson growled louder, and I took another small step back, nearly tripping in the debris. “Your crimes against this animal are appalling,” I finally managed.

Whitman’s smile was defiled with insanity. He took a step forward, forcing me back. The process continued until I was well past Sampson’s striking range. With every little backward step I took, Whitman’s smile grew.

Our plan of sedating Sampson and stealing him had just died. I hoped I didn’t as well.

Whitman smirked. If he wasn’t an animal-abusing asshole, the man would be kind of handsome. I hated myself for thinking that for a second time. “I can do what I please with what I own.”

Bile rose in my throat. Animals were meant to be taken care of and loved, not abused. “No, you can’t!”

Sampson roared, the sound nearly deafening. I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut against the pain. “Get away from my cat.” I blinked my eyes open to find Sampson standing between Whitman and me. The chain rattled, grating the night air and sending a shiver down my back.

I shook my head no. “I’ll take my chances.”

Sampson’s attention deviated from Whitman a moment to stare at me. He almost looked happy or content, but that was impossible. Except I couldn’t deny what I felt. Sampson was thrilled I chose him over Whitman.

His copper eyes captivated me. I was lost in their beauty. It was as if I was under hypnosis. I didn’t care about Amanda or anyone else waiting and certainly not Whitman with a gun trained on me. I was Sampson’s. He would protect me.

Sampson jerked, and the spell was broken. Something all too loud pierced the air. He roared and lashed out. His collision against my calf knocked me down, causing serious pain. I landed on a small pile of bones in a crunch. A different sort of agony seared my left shoulder, but this wasn’t from my previous injury a few days ago. My throat constricted, and my chest froze, holding back my silent scream.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. The stars above were mesmerizing and shiny. A new searing pain radiated from the wound at my shoulder. The son of a bitch had shot me.

Sampson growled. He was angry. The scream of something else joined Sampson’s furious rage. A sickening crushing sound ended the scream in a gurgling slurry. One final snapping crunch made my stomach roll. Something thudded against the bone-covered floor, then complete silence took over. Only my harsh breathing penetrated the night.

I knew what had happened, I smelled the blood, but I felt no sympathy over it. Whitman had dug his own grave when he started abusing Sampson.

Shiny stars above began to move. I was sure that wasn’t normal, but it was okay because it was pretty.

The almost half-ton Sampson stood over me, completely blocking the twirly stars with his ginormous head. Blood stained his tawny coat around his mouth. My skin tickled. It took me a moment to realize Whitman’s blood was dripping on me from Sampson’s jaw.

I should have been afraid, but oddly enough, I wasn’t. His eyes told me how upset he was. “Hey, boy,” I tried to soothe. I reached with my good arm for Sampson, since my other one wasn’t working at the moment.

Whitman’s blood slicked my petting hand, but I didn’t care. This animal should terrify me. He’d killed a man, but I was comfortable with him. Sampson’s eyes were soft, almost remorseful, looking at me.

Sampson purred, low and deep, and leaned into my touch. He gently nuzzled my hand. “What is it?”

He mewled. It was the saddest sound I’d ever heard. I felt his soul-deep sadness, the pain in his paws from walking on this terrain, tasted the blood in his mouth, the heavy weight of the chain around his neck.

A dangling lock keeping Sampson hostage made me mad. I wanted to throw a temper tantrum, but I couldn’t move. Sampson shouldn’t stay chained up like this. If I couldn’t steal him away, then Sampson deserved a running chance. He should at least know what it was like to be free even if it was just for a little while.

“Don’t worry,” I told him. “You’ll be free.” My arm fell, and I wiped the blood on my clothes. I needed it as clean as possible. I searched my pocket and frowned. Groaning, I reached across my pelvis to search my left pocket. Pain slithered through my left shoulder, down my arm, and into my chest. My muscles contracted with it, making it hard to breathe.

Two fingers of my hand nudged something slim. I fished it out and almost sighed in relief. I never tried lock-picking one-handed before, but there was a first time for everything.

The pain lessened significantly, but I still couldn’t move. I didn’t know if this was a good or bad thing, but I chose to assume it was good for my peace of mind. Although my spotty vision and the general heaviness in my body made me suspect it was very bad. I was sure I was bleeding too much.

My eyes were heavy, so heavy… Maybe if I just took a little nap, I’d feel better? Naps made everything better.

A noise kept me from slipping into sleep. Something nudged me none too gently. I blinked rapidly and found a very concerned Sampson hovering. “‘M okay.” It was a lie. I knew it was, and I think he did, too. The area underneath me was too wet. My life was draining away, but with it, I could save Sampson.

“Stay still, boy.” Sampson immediately stilled and exposed the lock. My hand wasn’t steady as I reached up, but I somehow managed to insert the lock pick. “Good boy.”

He crouched, allowing me more room to work. Tinkering the lock pick this way and that seemed to take longer than it should have. I had to give myself a little credit, since I was doing this on my back to a liger while probably bleeding to death.

I was getting tired, so tired… A little break and I’d be fine. No. I had to finish this before I couldn’t. Some inner strength or maybe just sheer stubbornness forced me to continue. I wasn’t about to fail Sampson the way Whitman, and probably others, had.

The lock fell open. Relief zapped whatever strength I had left. Right then I had never been more grateful for my juvenile delinquent days. Sampson stepped away and shook, the chain dropped in a heavy heap. If I was feeling better, I think I’d have done a little dance, but I felt nothing. My body was numb.

Black fog rolled in obscuring the shiny stars. This was really disappointing because I really liked those things. An image of Teddy Bear on my sofa, looking at me with those big black eyes, stole my breath away. I hated leaving him. We didn’t have enough time together. He needed me. I was the only one he liked. Tears stung my eyes. It wasn’t fair to Teddy, but at least he’d known a good life for a few days. Maybe Amanda would take him in because I knew Terry wouldn’t have time for him.

“Aw!” Another wave of pain from my right jostled the small tendril on reality I still had left. Sampson’s jaws clamped down and tugged, dragging me, sending me into new heights of pain. Everything came screaming back to life as Sampson dragged me across the ground into the forest.

The stars swirled together into a tunnel, and that was the last thing I saw.

* * *

It was either the flaring pain or the intense dryness of my throat, I wasn’t sure which, but one of them, or maybe both, pulled me awake without actually opening my eyes. My throat was raw, dry to the point of feeling like sandpaper.

My left hand was achy, stiff from lack of use, but my right hand twitched. A gritty, hard surface under my fingertips was odd. It was uncomfortable and cold. Hold on, why wasn’t I dead?

A small cough from my dry throat wracked my frame, sending a wave of pain through my shoulder and into my body. It constricted my arm and chest, again. This shit really needed to stop.

“You should take it easy. No coughing.”

I grunted. Like I had any control over that? It was an involuntary reflex, for Christ’s sake. Shock from the jostle left me frozen and disorientated. I wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep for a month. Was that physically possible? At that moment, I was damn near positive it was.

Wait.

Who the hell was talking to me? It didn’t sound like Terry or Carl, and I was positive I wasn’t in a hospital.

Blinking several times to clear my focus, I finally realized I was in a cave. The ceiling wasn’t very high but high enough for me or someone a little taller to stand. What in the actual fuck? The last thing I remembered was Sampson dragging me off.

A harsh glare to my left hurt my eyes like when you wake up in the middle of the night and flick on the light. Looking at the damn flames wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I did it anyway and hallelujah. A very naked man sort of hallelujah. If I wasn’t so out of it, I would’ve been more appreciative of this man’s looks, but right then, that was the furthest thing from my mind.

The man looked tall, even though he was crouched tending the fire. Defined muscles stretched and moved; this man was lithe but not skinny. Hair so blond it almost seemed white took on the orange glow of the fire at the edges. The crackling gave background noise to the man’s movements. Once I was feeling better, I would definitely appreciate this man. Maybe even lick him all over.

Jesus, it’d been so long since I was with someone. So long I wanted to lick a stranger. Amanda would approve. She liked to hound me every once in awhile about my sex life. Most of the time, I didn’t mind, but others, it was annoying as hell.

I blinked. Enough about that or I’d make myself depressed from my lack of a sex life.

Instead, I focused on the cave. It wasn’t very wide but wide enough for the man to be out of reach while tending the fire. Flowers grew near one side of the entrance; they looked like lilies or something. It seemed I was resting on a raised piece of rock or a shelf against the wall.

It felt homey there, or maybe cozy was the word I was looking for?

Whoever the man was stood and approached me, unashamed of his nudity. My eyes went so wide, it almost hurt. This man wasn’t small by any means in any area. Perhaps there was a God after all?

Harsh light and shadows contoured his naked form as he kneeled next to me. “How are you feeling?” An accent I couldn’t place laced his voice. “Is there much pain?” Solid, firm hands moved over my body, but there wasn’t a sexual aspect to this petting. To me, it seemed more for comfort and bonding.

How the hell did I know that?

His petting calmed me, almost lulling me into sleep. Wait, didn’t he ask me something? My first attempt at speech failed in a croak. “W-Water?” Was that my voice? It sounded like I hadn’t spoken or drank anything in days.

Pretty eyes went wide, and he nodded. “Of course. Of course.” He went away. His hands left me, and I had the childish urge to cry. I wanted those hands back. I wanted the connection.

Whoever he was returned, holding what looked like an old beat-up thermos. He held my head for me while I tasted the sweetest water I’d ever had. It probably was average water, but right then it was the best ever. He took the water away and set it down somewhere out of sight.

“Better.”

A soft smile broke his serious expression, and a gentle touch smoothed over my cheek and down my neck. “How are you feeling?” he repeated.

I tried doing an assessment of my body, but I was too tired. “I’m okay.” I lied because I didn’t want to worry this man. All I wanted was for him to keep touching me.

Something very close to a purr emitted from the man’s chest. “You lie. You should not lie to me.”

I frowned, but it melted away under his touches. “You’re right.” His hand returned, petting my face. The other moved to my injured hand, massaging it. My hand, once achy from lack of movement, now tingled with creaky, painful relief. “It hurts.” My shoulder pain felt like a heated knife, trying to bore through my body. I leaned into his touch on my face. I wasn’t a cuddly kind of guy normally, but right then, I was a cuddle whore. Getting shot does that to people; at least it did to me.

The man looked concerned and pulled his massaging hand away. “I apologize.”

“Nnn,” I whined, “not that. Keep doing that.” The man’s soft smile returned. I almost sighed when his massaging hand returned. I wanted to hold his hand, but mine was still a little stiff. “What’s your name?” I asked.

“Maj. Yours?” A soft sweep of lithe fingers pushed my bangs out of my eyes. I blinked slowly, trying my best to fight off sleep.

“Jude Kash, but everyone calls me Kash,” I managed, and Maj purred. If I wasn’t so tired, I might have wondered about that. His petting continued. “Feels nice,” I told him, and I felt him move to sit next to me. I squirmed, but flaming pain kept me still.

“I think I will call you Jude,” he said.

“You’d be the first.” Except for my parents… My dad had become especially angry when someone used my surname Kash. He hated it when I was tied to the family like that, and I never understood why. There was never any reason for his hatred of me.

I was his son. He should have loved me, but he hadn’t… My mom had felt sorry for me at best but never took up for me where my dad was concerned. The way she acted reminded me of a child in trouble. When my dad wasn’t around, she was kind and gentle, but as soon as he came home, she became timid and ignored me. For a while, I thought he hit her or something, but she told me he never had when I gathered the courage to ask her. She could’ve been lying to me, but I had a feeling she wasn’t.

“Are you alright?” Maj petted down my chest.

Sighing, I put all thoughts of my parents out of my mind. It’d do no good for me to dwell on them now. “I’ll be okay.”

He purred again. When I was feeling better, I should ask how he did that. “You lost a lot of blood. Resting would do you well.”

The way he talked sent a shiver down my spine. It was so unique, but I still couldn’t place it. Maybe later when I felt better? That sounded like a plan.

The cave disappeared, as my eyes were too heavy to stay awake. “Good idea.” I was almost positive I was slurring. “Ima pass out now, ’kay?” A growl vibrated where Maj’s body touched mine. He said something, but I didn’t catch it, and I drifted off into blissful sleep.


	5. Impossible

This time, coming awake was less painful and weirder. Which said something since I woke up in a cave last time.

A high ceiling above sported a chandelier with what looked like thousands of tiny crystals. The bed I was tucked into was large, fitting the enormity of the room. An ornate fireplace made of some kind of stone took up a good portion of the wall to my right. Tall doors stood on either side of the fireplace, the closet and bathroom I assumed. Even taller double doors stood along the opposite wall of the foot from the bed. Where was I? Fear forced me into shallow panting breaths.

I moved a little, my shoulder radiating a fiery pain. Panic heightened my senses, making everything threatening. My heart raced, and I sat bolt upright. Searing agony from my shoulder kept me in bed. I held my left arm with my right hand trying to seek some sort of comfort. Something moved just beyond my peripheral vision and caused my entire body to wind tight.

“Peace, Jude.” Relief sapped my energy a bit. I recognized Maj’s voice; he sounded unlike anyone else.

Maj came to me. His hands immediately smoothed over my body, and I relaxed. One strong grip on my good shoulder massaged my achy muscle. I grunted and felt the bed dip behind me. He pulled me against his naked form, cuddling me close but not disturbing my injured shoulder.

I sighed as Maj continued his gentle attention. Relaxing with him touching me was easy. I knew with him everything would be okay and I had nothing to fear. He would protect me. How I knew that, I had no idea; I just did, the same as I knew he was content and happy I was finally awake and with him.

Soothing purrs vibrated his chest against my back. It felt good, almost healing, and I knew I’d fall asleep like this. He was gentle around my gunshot wound, his fingers grazing the bandages almost tickled.

I wonder if Sampson got shot, too? My serenity vanished in a stunning display of concern for the liger. “Sampson!” I tried to sit up, but Maj held me firmly. My peaceful state lay shattered as I neared tears. Pain flared to life from my outburst, but Maj kept me grounded.

“Shh,” he soothed next to my ear. “Peace, Jude.” More petting down my chest and over my stomach to my upper thigh eased my worry, if only a little bit. “What do you care of Sampson?” His whisper was so soft. The sound vibrated along my ear. If I’d felt better, it would have peaked my interest.

A sound close to a whine escaped me. “Do you know where Sampson is? Is he okay? Did you see him? Was he shot, too?” I knew I sounded like a slightly panicked lunatic, but in all fairness, I was a slightly panicked lunatic.

Maj grunted and engulfed me in his arms, almost like a comforting hug. I settled down and turned my head into his neck; he smelled of the forest and pine. “I don’t understand why Sampson is so important to you.”

He sounded truly confused and perhaps a little jealous, angry even, but why? I sighed. “His owner was cruel to him, but because of laws, we couldn’t do anything for him. Just because Sampson is a hybrid made by humans doesn’t mean he should have less, live in worse conditions, or be treated like a circus freak.” I paused and took a breath, gritting my teeth against a flame-lick of pain. “Some laws don’t encompass hybrid animals because of a small formality of wording. Wild animals have rights, but hybrids aren’t wild animals, so by default, some people treat them poorly.” I went quiet, waiting on his response. When none came, I began to worry that he’d think I was crazy or something. Well, I probably was a little crazy, but he didn’t need to know that yet. That was something someone saved for later down the line. Wait, what line? Was there a line? I hoped there was a line.

His purring deepened. A soft touch on my chin guided me to look at him. His gaze roamed my face, and it was then I finally noticed his odd honey-colored eyes. The same color as Sampson’s. I mentally slapped myself and nearly rolled my eyes. I was being stupid with my silly color connection.

He just looked at me as if studying me. It was sort of embarrassing. I felt like a bug under a microscope. Why was he looking at me like that? The longer he gazed at me, the softer his expression became.

“Um…?” What should I say? I needed to say something to get him to stop staring at me. “How long was I out?”

Maj hummed. “The first time you woke up was a few hours after you were shot. Today, two, almost three days.” He reached to move my bangs off my face, a long ragged scar from just about his wrist and down the back of his hand stood out crystal clear. It was a scar like Sampson’s. “You awoke a little but nothing like this.”

My gaze was fixed on his scar. I heard him, but I couldn’t form a reply. How did he have the exact same scar as Sampson? It wasn’t possible, was it? What was I thinking? Of course it wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

“Jude.” My name was drawn out in a long, low vibration. I looked into his eyes, and everything within me came to a screeching halt. Maj’s eyes were now a deeper honey; his pupils—now more oblong than circular—expanded and contracted. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was looking into the eyes of a cat, into the eyes of Sampson.

I blinked. “Impossible.” It couldn’t. Maj couldn’t—

Maj chuckled, cutting off my train of thought, and leaned in, kissing me. I was so stunned, I didn’t respond. The instant he pulled away, I wanted him to come back and kiss me again. “What’s impossible—” He gave me another kiss, this one more gentle than the first. “—is my mate putting himself in danger to set me free.” Another kiss had my toes curling. “If you ever do something so foolish again, the consequences will be dire.”

I noted the predatory gleam in his eyes. “I… You… What?” Considering I was shot, nearly bled to death, and what he just said, I think my confusion was completely justifiable.

Maj’s purr was lulling, and no matter how freaked out I was, I stayed relatively calm. Was it his purring? He nuzzled my head, making sure to rub his cheek in my hair. “You are mine, Jude Kash. I knew it the moment I saw you in Mister Whitman’s home.”

“You weren’t at Whitman’s…” I would’ve remembered someone like him hanging around. “What does ‘mate’ mean?”

His hands petted along my body, distracting me. “Mate means we were destined for each other. You are mine, and I am yours.” Maj’s cat eyes dilated, the pupil almost taking up his entire eye. Only a slim copper ring was visible. He nuzzled my hair while purring. “I hated it when Mister Whitman touched you. When he hurt you, I couldn’t wait to kill him.”

His petting and purring was making it hard to think. I decided to just ask without thinking about it. “Sampson?”

He growled, but it wasn’t confrontational. “Sampson was the name given by Mister Whitman. Maj is my truest name.” He was scared. Scared I’d turn him away or would be unable to accept what he was saying.

I had absolutely no idea how I knew that. With him, I just knew. “Maj.” His name rolled off my tongue like it belonged there.

His purr took on a sensual edge, and his constant petting turned from bonding and comforting to arousing. Maj’s firm hands smoothed over my body; one went lower, gliding over my wakening cock beneath the blanket. The barrier dulled his touch, leaving a teasing trail of need.

“People like you—” His kiss was less claiming, more forceful than the others. “—help creatures like me.” Maj pressed forward, taking complete control of the kiss for the briefest of moments. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but I’d do it again if it meant another kiss from him.

A smile lit his face, and his eyes returned to something close to human. “Stay with me?” He was vulnerable now. To him, this was an important question. I didn’t understand why, but at least I comprehended the significance, sort of.

I had a feeling if I said yes, I’d never see my life again. Accepting his offer would sever my ties with home, with Amanda, Terry, the foundation. Pain of a different sort hurt my heart. The last thing I wanted was to leave everything behind, but I couldn’t leave Maj either. It wasn’t love, not yet, but I was positive I could certainly fall in love with him.

“One condition.” His face instantly fell; he thought I would deny him. “I have to get my dog Teddy Bear.” There was no way I was leaving that little guy. I’d only had him a few days, but he was my little sidekick.

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “One moment.” Maj moved me to sit up; then he left, heading for the door. I was disappointed since my source of warmth left me.

Maj opened one of the tall double doors, and a white half fluff ball charged in like a little boss. “Teddy!” My little pooch paused, one front paw held up, looking around for me. “Teddy!” I slid from the bed to the floor. He barked his little head off and ran right for me, jumping into my lap. I hugged him close. Teddy wiggled around, trying to lick me to death. My shoulder was killing me, but right then, I didn’t care. I was just so happy to see my little dog I could cry.

Maj shut the door and walked over to us. I only noticed because I saw his feet out of the corner of my eye. He kneeled and looked at me. “Is there anything else?” Maj was vulnerable again.

Teddy wiggled around and sniffed the air in Maj’s direction. “I said getting Teddy was my one condition.”

“You must leave everything behind.”

Well, that confirmed some things. Terry and Amanda came to mind. Terry was like a father to me. He took me in and all the bullshit that came with me. Amanda, she was my best friend and I knew she would be upset. I hated doing this to them for someone I hardly knew. Emotional turmoil that wasn’t my own froze my mind. Maj was silently panicking. Everything was racing so fast I couldn’t grasp what I, what he, was feeling. I couldn’t sort the two.

“I’ve known since I first saw you I belonged to you.” I hoped he didn’t ask me how I knew because I hadn’t the damnedest clue.

Maj’s inner turmoil calmed almost instantly. “You are a remarkable human.”

“Uh, thanks?” Was that a compliment? It sounded like one, but I wasn’t sure. He could’ve very easily been calling me a freak but in the nicest way possible.

He hummed with a smile. “You are welcome.”

Teddy squirmed away to sniff Maj at a safe distance while I took in Maj’s body. He was a beautiful man with a growing semi. I tilted my head and just stared. Maj must’ve been some kind of exhibitionist because his cock continued growing the longer I looked.

Once fully hard, I was pleased with his size. I was a size whore, and I freely admitted it. The bigger the better, and he was definitely one of the biggest I’d ever seen. That was saying something since I’d had several porn-worthy fuck buddies in my teenage years.

His cock twitched. “Do I please you?” Maj’s voice sent a shiver of want through me.

“Very much.” Oh, so damn much. I wanted that cock in my ass, wounded or not. My own dick perked up at the thought of Maj fucking me into unconsciousness.

Maj began to purr again, but this time deeper, more sensually. He crawled, on all fours, to me. His back slinked back and forth; his shoulders collapsed and pushed up with each step, like a cat. It was so damn sexy, I bit back a whine. He kissed me and bit my lip. I moaned, trying to give as good as I was getting.

He pulled back, but just barely. I had nowhere to look except into his eyes. They were catlike, again, dilated and constricting, then expanding a bit. He was going to fuck me within an inch of my life.

I reached for him. My good hand smoothed up his chest, to his shoulder, and gripped his hair. He growled and took my mouth in another kiss. Strong arms pulled me forward, and he sat back on his haunches, effectively making me straddle his lap.

A deep moan announced my appreciation. I wound my arm around his neck and moved against him a little, teasing us both. He was so big; it was like humping a metal water bottle. We groaned together. I was so damn horny, I was ready to burst right then.

He held me close, one arm wrapped around my lower back. His other kept petting me all over. Pure agony ripped from my shoulder, stealing away my ability to scream. My vision went white, then returned to normal in less than a second. I collapsed against him, unable to breathe.

Teddy started barking his head off and growling at Maj.

“Jude!” Maj stood with me in his arms and placed me on the bed. “I am so sorry.” He helped me lie down while I fought to take tiny puffs of air. Teddy jumped on the bed and sat next to my head on the pillow, watching me. Maj planted himself on the edge, looking at me with such concern and apology.

His feelings flooded me. He felt like an idiot for hurting me, selfish for putting his need above my well being, and angry at himself for letting things get out of control. The most prominent thing he felt was fear that I would hold this against him and leave. I didn’t want him to feel any of those things.

“S’okay.”

He shook his head no. “I sincerely apologize. Things got out of hand. You are too injured for such things.”

“Things?” I laughed a little, but it turned into a grimace. Laughing was not a good idea right then. Neither was breathing, but that one was sort of life-sustaining.

“Sexual things.” Maj clarified in all seriousness. His purring started up, and his hands began smoothing over me in the comforting slash bonding way.

His purring was soothing, and it helped ease the pain. After a few minutes, I felt considerably better but still very sore and tender. Any movement aggravated my injury so I opted to stay still and let him keep doing whatever it was that he was doing.

“I think you’re right about those sexual things.”

He gave me a condescending, worried look.

“But I really wanted sexual things.” That got the reaction I wanted: he smiled.

Teddy licked my face then laid down, curling around my head. Maj smiled and reached for Teddy. I wanted to warn him not to touch Teddy because he was a mean little thing. Surprise made me blink several times when Maj petted my mutt.

“We understand one another,” Maj said and scratched Teddy’s back.

I hummed and closed my eyes. They were both animals, sort of, and Maj certainly acted like a cat at times. That sort of made sense, I guessed. “Can you talk to him or anything?” Opening my eyes, I saw Maj just staring at me.

He touched my cheek so tenderly as if I were made of fine glass. “No, but I understand his love for you.” Maj tilted his head a bit, causing his white hair to fall in his eyes. “You are beautiful. I am very lucky.”

I snorted. “Never been called that before.”

“I find that a shame.” He was serious. “You must be famished.” His energy changed, and he left, disappearing into what turned out to be the closest to the right of the fireplace. He emerged a moment later in a long, dark red robe with another just like it hung over his arm. A sling dangled in his other. “Come.” He set the robe and sling on the bed then helped me up. “Dinner should be ready by now.”

“Maj…” I trailed off, not wanting to dampen his spirits.

He slung the robe over me. “Yes?”

“I just want to rest.”

“Nonsense,” he said while gently slipping my left arm into the robe. “You have not eaten much since Whitman shot you. It would do you well, I think.” He held the other side of the robe for me to slip my right arm into. I looked at him and sighed. I wasn’t winning this fight. “Besides, you cannot take your pain medication without food.”

And there was the reason I wasn’t. I wanted those damn meds.

I sighed, dramatically, of course, and rolled my eyes. “Fine.” Standing proved to be a little wobbly, but Maj steadied me. He tied my belt, then eased me into the arm sling. I held out my right hand, waiting for his. “Feed me, Liger man.”

Maj took my hand and led me out of the room with Teddy following us, a little bounce in his step. He led me down a hall to a sweeping staircase. “Where are we?”

“My home.”

We descended the stairs. Halfway down, the stairs sort of twisted in a way I was sure stairs couldn’t. Everything tilted, and black spots danced across my vision. My head felt spinny and light.

I found myself sitting on the stairs with Maj kneeling before me. Blinking, I swallowed, trying not to throw up. “Are you alright?” Maj asked while petting my face and right arm.

I nodded and swallowed again. “I think you’re right. Need some food or something.”

“I know I am right. Come.” He helped me stand, and we made it to the bottom without me fainting again. Thank God. That was embarrassing as hell. I must be more out of it than I realized.

He led me into the dining room with an arm around my waist. The table was set for two with candles, and a fire going in the corner fireplace. More food than two people could ever eat sat on the table, steaming hot.

“Wow,” I said, and he helped me sit down at the head of the table.

“I am thrilled you approve.” He took the seat to my right. Teddy danced on his hind legs, demanding I put him in my lap. Maj reached down and picked Teddy up for me. My little puppy curled in my lap and promptly fell asleep.

“Thank you.”

He nodded and took a sip out of an ornate glass.

I took a bite of salad. “How did Teddy get here?” I tried covering my mouth while I spoke.

Maj chuckled and cut into his steak. “Your driver’s license told me where you lived. I went there to see if there were any medications you might require. Teddy Bear greeted me with hostility. I simply ignored him, and he warmed up to me. I packed some of your clothes and Teddy then brought them back.”

A glass of orange juice sat between a glass of water and what looked like wine. I picked the orange juice and took a drink. If I had half a mind, I’d be angry at him for invading my home. On the other hand, I had agreed to stay with him. But back on the first hand, I hadn’t agreed to stay with him when he went to my house. Teddy twitched in my lap, and I decided it was a very good thing he went. If he hadn’t, then Teddy would’ve been left alone. I was sure Amanda had checked on him, but she wouldn’t want him around; he hated her. Eh, it wasn’t like I had deep dark secrets hidden in my apartment or anything anyway for Maj to find.

“Thank you,” I said, and he nodded.

My salad was halfway gone before I moved onto the eggplant parmesan. Problem was, I had to scoop it onto my plate, and I didn’t trust myself to do that one-handed. “Could you help me?” I pointed to what I wanted.

Maj took my plate and scooped some delicious eggplant onto my plate. “Would you like to try the peppers?”

“Yes, please.” He gave me one of them too and set my plate back down. “Yummy.” Maj chuckled, and the both of us dug into our food. He ate all meats while I had the vegetarian dishes.

I was stuffed. I mean Thanksgiving turkey dinner stuffed. “You need your medication.” He presented two white pills on a small silver tray-like thing. I recognized them as the same pills Amanda had filled for me.

Taking them, I tossed them in my mouth and took a swig of water. I set the glass down kind of hard. The liquid inside sloshed. “Why did you stay and be Whitman’s pet? You didn’t have to stay there. You could’ve easily gotten away, so why?” I couldn’t look at him. In a way, I was scared to ask him, but I had to know. It just didn’t make any sense.

Maj sat for a very long time. The silence dragged on well past the awkward stage. “When he bought me, I was tranquilized. Upon waking, I was chained to that tree. The chain was made from high quality steel. He must’ve had a piece of a meteor around. With that chain on my neck and the meteor piece, I could not shift and escape. It was a happy twist of fate my mate found me and rescued me.”

Nodding, I took a bite of bell pepper just for something to do. “Meteor? How could he have bought you?” I had hoped my first question would’ve completely answered everything, but it only brought up more. Freakin’ hated it when that happened.

Maj sighed, and his index finger moved over the glass. “Meteors prevent us from shifting. The older we are the large the meteor must be.” He offered. “I was in my woods when illegal hunters spotted me. I fled, of course, and stayed away for a very long time. When I went back, I was sure it was safe, but it was not. Someone tranquilized me and took me away. Where I was, it was very monitored. I could not shift and facilitate my escape. That is when Mister Whitman purchased me.” He was upset over being captured. I felt it. “I was foolish.”

“Not foolish.” I petted Teddy. He grunted and stretched before settling back down. “You wanted to run free. It was driving you mad after being locked up in this house for so long. Any longer and you thought you’d go crazy.” Why the hell did I say that? I hadn’t meant to; it just sort of slithered out. Telling someone how they feel or felt was creepy; even I knew that. Up until then, I kept everything he felt to myself. What happened this time? If it happened again, I’d have to superglue my mouth shut.

Silence met my declaration. Not that I expected anything else. Confusion leaked to me from him. He was startled, which told me someone telling someone else how they felt wasn’t a regular thing. “How d0 you know this?”

His voice sounded as dumbfounded as he felt. At least, he was consistent. “I don’t know. Just do.” I chanced a glance at him. He was looking at me as if he was studying something interesting. If nothing else, I hoped I was interesting and not downright creepy.

“You can feel others' emotions?”

I shook my head no. “Just you. Sometimes, not all the time.” Pausing, I chewed my lower lip, then continued. “Well, when Whitman was dragging me out of the house, I think I felt his spirit, energy, whatever, lashing out at me.”

He sat with a blank expression. “Has this happened with anyone else?”

I shook my head no.

Maj hummed. “How odd.”

“You mean you haven’t heard of this before?” Now it was my turn to be shocked. What if he hadn’t? Was I really a freak in a world of freaks? I blinked. That wasn’t nice.

He pursed his lips in thought. “I did not say that.” Hope that I wasn’t truly weird piqued my interest. “However, the ones I am thinking of are empathetic to all, not just one.” And I was back to a freak. “They are called Sensories, a type of fairy.” Was he calling me a fucking fairy? “But, as I said, I have never heard of them only empathizing with one. Perhaps you are just that, a human empath.”

Well, that was something, I guess. “Do you know much about empaths?”

He shook his head no. “Human ones, no, I do not. I know other paranormals who are also empaths. The only empathetic human I ever met could read all.”

“Why only you?” I think my pain medication was kicking in, because despite the fact that I might be something totally weird, I was feeling pretty damn good right then. The lack of ouch was also an indicator.

“Perhaps—” He stood and woke Teddy to put him on the floor. I frowned. “—it is because I am your mate.” The way he said that made it sound like a question instead of a statement. This did not please me. “Come, you need more rest.”

Now that I had to agree with. Two of these things were kicking my ass. I got up and frowned. “What about the food?” If it wasn’t put away, it’d spoil and that’d just be a shame.

“Do not worry. It will be taken care of.”

“M’kay. That’s good ’cause it was good.”

Maj chuckled. “Your redundancy is amusing.”

I was sure I knew what ‘redundancy’ meant, but right then I was having trouble with just putting one foot in front of the other. “You makin’ fun of me?”

“Of course not.” We stood at the base of the stairs, and I wanted to cry. They were so… so… up, and there were so many of them. “Come along.” Maj guided me up the first steps, and I was proud of myself for not tripping.

We made it upstairs, and I had no recollection of getting there. What the hell was with these damn pills? One, I was good. Two and it felt like my head was full of cotton candy and caramel sauce. Ew, that’d be a terrible combination. I mean, really, who would think of that combination? Someone high as a baseball home run, that’s who. Baseball home run? I didn’t even like baseball. Oh, fuck me with a pogo stick.

“Jude?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“Are you alright?” He took off my arm sling and robe. A chill tingled my skin, leaving goosebumps behind.

“No, cotton candy and caramel sauce is a terrible combo, and baseball is boring. I like pogo sticks.”

Maj just looked at me for a minute. “I have not a clue as to how those things relate.”

I shook a finger at him. “Oh.” He guided me into bed, and the cool sheets felt good. “They relate, buddy. They relate.” Maj covered me up before disrobing himself and sliding into bed on the other side. Teddy jumped up and nudged his way under the blanket.

Maj cuddled against me and started that purring thing again. I felt it in my bones. It was soothing and healing. “Question.” Maj’s purring got louder for a moment. “Why can’t I go back home?” That was not what I was thinking at all. Why did I say that? Oh, boy.

He tensed beside me. Uncertainty and doubt flooded me from Maj. It took me aback. I hadn’t meant to upset him. “My world must stay separate from yours. No human is allowed to know of us unless they are a mate to us. It is law.”

“What would happen if I went back?” Hurt passed from him to me. It was so acute I gasped in pain. “I’m jus’ curious. Not goin’ anywhere.”

Instant ease flowed through the connection between us. “One of two things would happen.” He plastered himself to me and nudged my cheek with his. “You would return and never see me again. If you caused trouble, you would be detained until all of your living relatives and friends were deceased.”

“Well, that sucks giant, dry elephant nuts.” It really did. Maj busted out laughing and kissed my jaw. I huffed and patted his shoulder with my good hand. “An’ I don’t wanna suck those. S’ I’ll stay.”

“Is that the only reason?” He was unsure again. How do I always make him feel that way? I was a really bad boyfriend or something. Were we boyfriends? That’s what mate meant, right?

“Noooo.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This bed was so damn comfy. It was like lying on a puffy cloud made of cotton and chocolate. “Sleepy.” I licked my lips and thought Maj said something like “sleep,” but I had no real clue.

Teddy moved to lay out next to my chest, and I sighed. The sound of Maj’s purring lulled me to sleep.


	6. “I am too old for this shit.”

It was a euphoric feeling. Pleasure skirted over my skin, leaving tendrils of ecstasy behind. This dream man purred and smiled, but the upper half of his face was obscured by shadow. His body covered mine like a familiar blanket. He kissed me, moaning into my mouth. I wanted to give this man everything of me. His soul called to mine.

My dream man pulled away and licked my cheek. His black hair obscured his eyes. I so desperately wanted to see his eyes. “Please?” I begged. He shook his head no with a feral grin and kissed me again.

A toxic essence choked me. “Mmm!” I tried to push him away, but he was stronger than me. Terror seized my chest. Muscles ached as I tried to get away from him, but I couldn’t. His grip on me was too tight.

Strong fingers dug into my arms, keeping me still. His long tongue slithered down my throat, choking the life out of me. It tickled my insides. Pain exploded in my chest, and the tongue wrapped around my heart, constricting the life out of me.

Blood seeped from my mouth and slid down my face. I pleaded with my eyes. At least I hoped I was, for my life. He growled, and the tongue slithering down my throat tightened.

The last thing I saw was him pulling back and copper eyes boring into me from under ink-black hair, then my heart stopped.

“Jude!”

I gasped awake. My heart raced, and sweat rolled down my face. I couldn’t breathe. Sitting up, I clutched at the blankets. Couldn’t breathe…

Teddy whined and climbed in my lap. He licked my chin, then settled against my chest. A hand smoothed down my back. “It is all right, Jude.” Maj leaned in and began purring. “Breathe in.” I listened, sort of. “Breathe out.” He kept coaching me until I could breathe on my own and my heart slowed down to something close to normal. I checked my own pulse just to make sure. Stupid, I knew, but I had to. “What happened?” Maj kissed my neck and kept purring.

“Bad dream.” I sighed, and the adrenaline ebbed, leaving me drained. I told him everything about the dream, then lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Teddy jumped down, and I heard him drinking some water.

Maj was quiet; he didn’t even purr. “You said this man was similar to me but with black hair?”

He was startled and slightly afraid. “The guy could’ve been your twin except for the hair.” Maj nodded and hid his face against my neck. His breathing tickled my throat. “You’re not purring.”

He hummed and began something close to the soothing purring, but this was a sad sound. It was as if he was purring only to satisfy me and not because he truly wanted to. I was sort of confused since I sensed nothing from him when I had the feeling I should.

“My shoulder feels a lot better.” I had to say something to get him to talk. The silence was getting awkward. I didn’t like it.

Maj moved a little, cuddling closer. “I had hoped as much. When I purr at a certain level, it is healing to some humans.”

Oh, well that explained some things. “Good to know.”

He sighed and kissed the juncture between my neck and shoulder. “It is.”

I moaned softly. “Do that again.”

His purring turned deeper, and he licked my neck up to my ear. Maj sucked on my earlobe, and his hand moved down my belly to my limp cock. I moaned when he palmed me. Gently teasing touches combined with his tongue brought my dick to life.

Maj growled so low I thought it sexy as hell. He moved on top of me, and I opened my legs for him. The stark similarity to my dream gave me pause. I was fooled in my nightmare into thinking that man’s soul and mine belonged to one another. Maj’s honey eyes looked just like the black-haired man’s.

That wasn’t completely true. That man had a harsh edge to his gaze, and his soul, once bare, sought revenge. Maj’s gaze held a gentleness that came straight from his soul. This time, I wasn’t fooled. Maj was mine, and I was his.

Maj settled between my legs, seemingly unaware of my momentary inner struggle, and his monster cock slid against my hole and balls.

Sweet mother, I wanted him in me, right then. “Maj.”

He took me in a passionate kiss. Tingles ran through me, and damn if he didn’t push his feelings onto me. He was elated I was receptive to his advances. Above all else, he was horny as hell, and damn him, it only heightened my own need.

Maj pulled back. “One moment,” he said and left me to find something in a small table on his side of the bed. Damn that bastard. It better be the lube he was looking for, or I would kill him.

The son of a bitch was taking too long. I gripped myself and pumped. “Nnnn.” My hand didn’t feel as good as his, but right then, I didn’t care. I just needed.

His attention snapped to me and my hand. Catlike eyes expanded, and he simply watched. It was so damn erotic, I bit my lip to keep myself from begging him to fuck me. My hips moved, helping me to fuck my own hand. Maj’s large cock bobbed, and a clear liquid seeped from the tip.

“Gimme the lube.”

He tossed the lube bottle over. My left hand was stiff, but I managed to get the lube and squirt some on my right fingers. My shoulder hurt, but it was ignorable, thank God.

I reached further down and fingered my ass. The cool lube felt good against my hot skin. I pushed inside and moaned. My dick twitched, and I tried gripping it with my left, but I didn’t have enough strength in it yet to be satisfying.

Maj crawled to me and replaced my jacked-up hand with his own. I whimpered and inserted another finger, scissoring them.

“Jude.” The way he said my name was full of promise. He watched me stretching myself. Maj was pleased.

Another of my fingers added to the two already inside. “Need more.”

Maj purred and moved between my legs. He leaned in and kissed the tip of my leaking cock. I sighed in pleasure. He kissed a line down to my probing digits.

He watched me a moment before pulling my hand away. Maj growled and licked over my hole. “Christ.” I threw my head back and groaned. His dexterous tongue groomed me, there was no other word for it, and I could die a happy man. An unknown sensation built within me. I’d been rimmed before, but Maj was a master.

Fingers that weren’t mine inserted themselves. Pinching pain made me hiss. “Now,” I demanded.

Maj hummed and licked up my balls and shaft. “You are not properly—”

“Shut the hell up and fuck me.”

His eyes contracted and expanded. He crawled up my body and kissed me. I heard the lube bottle fart, and I broke the kiss, giggling. Maj smiled at me and palmed himself, spreading the lube.

He pressed the tip, just a bit, against my ass. “It will hurt.”

I spread my legs more. “I like it like that.” Maj pressed forward, stretching me. “Holy fuck.” Goddamn he was huge. “Oh shit!” He finally popped inside, and I thought I’d die. He was a fucking monster, almost literally. His hands smoothed over my stomach. One tracked lower and pumped my dwindling shaft. I took several deep breaths until the searing pain dulled. “More.” He pushed forward, and the ripping pain returned.

I fucking loved it.

Our eyes met, and I felt it. He was vibrating, trying to keep his control. Maj wanted to ravish me. He loved that I liked the pain. His personal pleasure combined with mine dulled everything else.

“Let go,” I told him.

He shook his head no. “I’ll hurt you.”

“You can fucking purr later.”

Maj snapped forward, and I screamed. He stopped, muscles quivering, almost immediately. “Move, dammit!” It wasn’t a scream of pain but of pure bliss.

The bastard listened, thank heaven, or I’d kill him, and began fucking me within an inch of my life. Every movement slid over my inner holy-shit button, he was so large. My eyes crossed.

His body blanketed mine, and for the briefest of moments, I was reminded of my nightmare. Maj slowed down to long torturous thrusts. “Maj…”

He gripped my cock and pumped with his movements. “Come for me, Jude.” Kisses peppered my chest and nipples up to my neck.

My entire body contracted so tight, I thought I’d break something. Maj groaned and went completely still but still pumped my cock. A familiar tingle spread over my entire body, further tightening my lower half.

Maj barely moved, and my cock exploded; a drip of come hit my face. My orgasm hit so hard, I couldn’t make a sound. My body twitched and contracted with every stimulation.

Maj’s chest rumbled with something between a purr and a moan. It was only then I noticed his shaking frame. He braced his weight on one elbow, panting. Kisses tickled my neck, and he rested against me.

He took a moment to breathe. “I never reached release without much movement before.”

I patted his back. “I’ll take that as a compliment. You’re heavy.”

Maj slipped out of my ass, and the pain returned.

I hissed. My reaction triggered Maj’s purring. “I like it when you do that.”

He frowned. “Disconnect from you?”

“No, the purr thing.”

He laughed; it was a full belly sound full of happiness. This was a much better side of him than the melancholy kitty he was before. “I am glad.” Maj rolled off, taking me with him, and settled into the bed. “Let us sleep.”

“Sounds good to me.” I yawned and rested against him. Gentle purring and the sound of his beating heart lulled me toward sleep.

“I have some errands that require my attention today. There is a possibility I will be gone when you wake up again.”

Now that I didn’t like. Not one bit. “No.” I was pouting like a child, but I didn’t care.

Maj rubbed my back with one hand and massaged my left arm with the other. He kissed my head. “I am truly sorry.”

“S’okay, I guess. Just come back ASAP. I’ll want more sex.”

He chuckled and pulled the blankets over us. “Yes, Jude.”

I frowned. It was weird hearing my name all the time. The only other people who called me that were my parents. Despite that, every time he said it, I didn’t think of them, just him. He was giving me good memories associated with the name, and for that, I was grateful.

Something started licking my ear. I whined and swatted at whatever it was. Teddy’s fluffy head didn’t startle me, but I wasn’t expecting to find him there. He jumped on my back and lay down.

Between the two, I was so cozy I could have slept for days.

* * *

Fear startled me awake. “Get dressed!” A strange man I’d never seen before stood next to the bed. Teddy Bear was barking furiously and growling. “Now!”

I crawled away and looked around. Maj wasn’t there. “Where’s Maj? What did you do to him?”

The man threw a robe at me. “Nothing. We have to go. Now.”

Swallowing, I took the robe, mostly to cover myself with something other than a blanket. The man stomped through the room like he knew it and stuffed a bag of what I thought to be Maj’s clothes. “Hurry it up!” the man shouted. “Your things are already in the car.”

I slipped the robe on, but my shoulder made it more difficult than it should’ve been. The man scooped up Teddy and clicked on his leash before putting him back down. Whoever he was, rounded the bed and grabbed me by the arm.

“Forgive me, Master Kash, but we must go.”

The man manhandled me out of the room, down the stairs, and out the front door into a waiting car. He shoved me inside. “Ow!” I landed on my shoulder. My body tightened up with the pain of it. The trunk opened, then slammed, and the man got in the front seat and drove off. “Where are we going? Where’s Maj?” Panic was threatening to take away all rational thinking. I was on hyper alert, my gaze darting from one thing to the next. Teddy sat panting in the floorboard.

“Somewhere safe. He’ll come to you when he can.”

What the hell did that mean? “Isn’t here safe?”

“No, Master Kash. Not anymore. Please forgive me. I am Del Madison, the head butler for Master Rengal and his estates.”

“Who the hell is Mr. Rengal?” What was this crazy man talking about? I wanted Maj, now. Del Whoever sped down the drive, then came to a jerking stop. My breathing sped up, and I wanted to cry. I had a rough week, and some stranger kidnapping me was pushing me past my breaking point. I was too old for this shit. And what the hell was with this master business?

“Forgive me,” the man said while careening out of the driveway like a race car driver. The force sent me flying across the backseat, almost smashing into the opposite door, and Teddy let out an indignant yelp. “Rengal is your mate’s surname.”

My mouth fell open. Maj had a butler? Estates? What? “You. Are. Shitting. Me.”

Del Whoever chuckled and took a turn at high speed. I almost went flying again, but I held onto the door handle. A seat belt might be a good idea. Reaching around, I found the belt and clicked it into place. If I was going to be kidnapped, I might as well be safe about it.

“Come here.” I patted my lap, and Teddy jumped up. He was shaking. “It’s okay,” I told him and hugged him close. “If you hurt my dog, I’ll sick Maj on you.”

“Apologies, Master Kash. I simply wanted you two safe.”

Well, I wasn’t expecting that from my kidnapper. I spied on Del in the rearview mirror. He was a good-looking man with a stern jaw enhanced by a scruffy beard. His brown hair had hints of blond. If I had to guess his age, I’d say he was older than me but younger than Maj. “Why do you call me master?”

“Because you are my Master’s mate.”

“That makes sense, I guess.” I didn’t know how I felt about that. I’d never been called master by anyone. The title reminded me of those BDSM people. That was never my thing, but I had to admit, the thought of Maj spanking me and tying me up had its appeal.

I could think about that later, since right then, I was a little preoccupied with Del kidnapping me. “Where are we going?” It was a valid question. I cuddled Teddy and ignored my shoulder. It was feeling much better since Maj did his purring magic thingy, but it was still weak and achy. Del tossing me around didn’t help a damn thing.

Del sped down what looked like a country road. “A smaller, more secluded, recently purchased estate of Master Rengal. We should arrive tonight by dinnertime.”

I blinked. Dinner? It’s not even lunchtime yet. What in the hell was I supposed to do for hours? If I had known about this little trip, I could’ve brought a crossword puzzle or a book. “Are we going to stop for lunch? What about bathroom breaks?”

The car felt like it accelerated. “I packed lunch,” Del said while scanning either side of the road. He reminded me of a hawk searching for its prey. “There’s some food here for Teddy as well. Bathroom breaks are scheduled.”

He scheduled bathroom breaks? Who did that? Butlers did, I guessed. Wait. “I’m not getting out in just a robe.” It didn’t feel right. I belonged to Maj, and I didn’t want anyone else seeing my body. Whoa, I what? I was never a prude like this before. I mean, I wasn’t a nudist or anything, but if someone saw me, they saw me. Now the thought of anyone else’s eyes on me sent my stomach rolling. Was that the mating bond thing? I had to ask Maj about that, if I remembered.

“Master Rengal would have my head if I let you out in that robe. There’s clothes for you in the trunk.”

Well, that was a relief. I sighed and patted Teddy Bear. “Will Maj be there when we are?”

“I honestly don’t know, Master.” Del sounded disappointed. “His orders were to get you and Teddy out. Other than that and us deciding where to meet, that was it.”

I sighed and sat back into the seat. Well, that answered that. “Do you know what he’s doing?”

Del was upset. I could see it on his face. “Master Rengal asked me not to tell you. He wants to explain everything to you himself.”

“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, I resigned myself to just not know things until I saw Maj again.

Del taking me away like this would probably concern someone else, but I just knew he meant me no harm. Maj wouldn’t have let him near me if he intended to hurt me.

I curled into the seat with Teddy and watched the scenery speed by. All I wanted was Maj and his purring. Especially the purring to make my shoulder feel better. It certainly worked on my ass, which was half disappointing and half a relief. Disappointing since I couldn’t tell I was fucked and a relief because it’d be very uncomfortable to sit this long with a twingy ass.

Teddy licked my chin. His big black eyes and little nose were too cute. “What?” I whispered, and his little tail startled wagging. At the very least, I had him right then.


	7. Meltdown in 3, 2, 1…

It’d been several hours. Lunch came and went. Del had packed me a cold-cut sandwich and a bag of chips. I was so damn hungry; I ate it even though I didn’t exactly eat meat. Labeling myself a vegetarian wasn’t quite right because I’d eat meat if I had to. Today’s car ride was a perfect example. Del wasn’t kidding when he said he scheduled bathroom breaks. I had basically threatened peeing in the car before he stopped on the side of the road. It was awkward since he refused to be more than fifteen feet from me.

From the way he was acting, I could tell something was very wrong. The longer we were driving, the more agitated he became. Del hid it well, but I had nothing better to do than watch him.

Eventually, I changed into some jogging shorts and some T-shirt I’d never seen before. It was a little too big, and it smelled like Maj so I figured it was his. This was a little odd since I’d never seen him in a scrap of clothing. He was the naked type, which was fine by me, but if he went out like that, I’d kill him. That body was mine to ogle.

It was just past seven in the evening, and Del finally pulled into the driveway of a cute little country cottage. We weren’t exactly out in the country, but we weren’t overly close to town either.

Del parked and got out, opening the door for me. “Here we are, Master.” I sat there, a little dumbfounded. Teddy growled, and Del took a step back. My little pup jumped out and scouted the place like he owned it.

I sighed, unbuckled my seatbelt, and stepped out. Del shut the car door and motioned for me to follow him.

“Lead the way,” I told him. Del bowed a little and walked off toward the cottage. Del being all servant-like was unsettling. It was something I definitely wasn’t used to.

He opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. Teddy zipped past to inspect the house. This place had a cabin-homey feel to it. It was cozy and warm. I instantly liked it there much better than the other more opulent house I had just come from.

“This way, Master.” Del headed for a staircase off to the side, which I hadn’t noticed. I followed up the solid wood steps; they looked like a log cut in half and polished up.

There was that title thing again. My skin crawled and my gut did sort of a squeeze and shift. I hated that. “Do you have to call me that?”

“Do you mean ‘master’, Master?”

My jaw clenched. “Yeah…” There went Teddy again, running past us up the stairs. His enthusiasm felt like a betrayal. Couldn’t he be just a little bit concerned about what was happening?

“Apologies, sir. How would you like me to address you?”

“Anything but master…”

We reached the upper landing, and he opened the first door on the left. He seemed a little peeved that I didn’t say a specific title-thing to call me. “Very well, sir.” Del lowered his head in a slight bow. I didn’t like that either, but I wasn’t going to say anything. “For your safety, Master Rengal has requested you stay in the master suite.”

I blinked. “He did, did he?”

“Yes, sir. The local wolf pack is aware of the situation and will also be watching the home, but Master Rengal was adamant.”

“The local what?” Logically other paranormal creatures made sense, but having it confirmed, like in my face confirmed, was a little daunting. Maj calling me a fairy didn’t count.

“Wolf pack, sir. The Blackburn pack.”

Del said it twice so it must be true. “What are you?” The thought of Del not being a human hadn’t crossed my mind until that moment.

“A fairy, sir.”

He was a what? Del certainly didn’t look like a fairy. He was tall and built, not lithe, skinny, and shiny. “Whatever.” I walked past him into the room and sighed. Hand on my hip, I turned to face him. “Can I have a vegetarian dinner? Teddy is going to need something to eat, too.”

“Of course, sir.” He bowed low at the waist, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from saying something. “I apologize for your lunch. I didn’t know your dietary preference. I shall adjust your meals accordingly. Dinner will arrive in thirty minutes.” Del shut the door, and I heard a distinct click. I guessed Del had no idea I could pick locks.

“Well, that’s that,” I told Teddy. He just looked at me and ‘arfed’, then went exploring the room. He had the right idea.

Now that weird-talking Del was gone, I could properly look at my new prison. This room was smaller than the last. The bed frame was the wooden log kind. It was very manly looking, big and beefy. There was a catty-corner fireplace made of black river stones with two large chairs on either side and a low table. A large armoire took up a good portion of the wall opposite of me.

“What the hell.” I walked up to the armoire, opening it. Extra blankets, towels, and bed sheets took up the space.

No TV?

I was going to kill Maj.

First he sent me on a trip with nothing to do, and now no TV? A guy had his limits, and I was hastily approaching mine. Considering I was hurt, shot, found out a liger named Sampson was really a man named Maj who said he was my mate, that I was this empath-thing but only with Maj, I left my life behind, and was fucking kidnapped, I thought I was dealing pretty damn well, but no fucking TV?

One armoire door slammed shut, soon followed by the other. “Dammit!” My shoulder flared, but I ignored it. Was something as simple as a TV too much to ask for? With everything that happened in the last few days, I didn’t think so.

Panic scurried up my spine, constricting my lungs. I’d been really understanding about all this shit, I mean really. Anyone else would’ve probably gone ape-shit crazy by now. I thought I was doing really well here, and all I wanted was a damn TV!

My back came in contact with something solid, the armoire, I guessed, and I slid down to the floor. I just sat there, not seeing or processing anything except for the fact that I didn’t have a TV. That was all I wanted, besides Maj, in this weird kidnapping scenario.

Amanda and I used to watch TV together. We’d have marathons, and she’d always bring over popcorn that popped on the stovetop. When she had a fight with whatever boyfriend she had at the time, she’d have ice cream or chocolate and peanut butter. One night, we were watching the show Bones, and every time they said something we didn’t understand, we’d drink a shot. We were hammered within seven minutes.

The thought of Amanda made my heart hurt. She must be so upset. My breathing hitched, and I felt like a complete ass for leaving her behind. I missed her. I missed Terry.

Terry…

Guilt took me under over Terry. He must feel responsible for my disappearance. That night was his idea. I couldn’t imagine how he felt when he realized Sampson killed Whitman and dragged me away. I wondered if they gave me a funeral.

The room came back into focus, and I fought the building nausea.

Dammit, all I wanted was a TV…

I noticed Teddy hiding underneath the bed, making me feel like a jackass. “I’m sorry, boy.” Teddy slinked from under the bed to me. He sat in my lap and licked my hand. I held him close and brought up my knees, cuddling him. A shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room shook me. I buried my face in Teddy’s coat, which was starting to fill in again.

A knock startled me, and Teddy yelped. Del appeared with a cart. “Are you alright, sir?” He came over to me and kneeled, but he didn’t reach for me.

“Is there a TV?” If there wasn’t one, I think I’d have the biggest hissy-fit meltdown of all time.

Del smirked and bowed his head before getting up. “Of course, sir.” He motioned to a painting on the wall opposite the bed, which I hadn’t noticed before. He reached for the armoire and retrieved a remote from inside. With one push of a button, the painting disappeared, and some monster movie took its place.

I felt like the biggest idiot in the world. In my sort of defense, I’d never seen anything like that before. I wasn’t used to the richer things in life.

“I brought you a vegetarian lasagna. Is this acceptable, sir?”

My eye twitched at the ‘sir’ thing. I hated that one almost as much as the ‘master’ thing. “Thank you.”

Del bowed and went to the tray, then set up a place for me to eat in the sitting area around the fireplace. He ignited the fire, then set out two silver bowls on the floor in a wrought iron cradle for Teddy. He left with the cart and returned a moment later with a different cart full of bags. Some of them I recognized as mine, and I assumed the others were Maj’s.

Del picked up a bag and disappeared into what I guessed was the closest to my left. I watched him go back and forth until all the bags were gone. “If you require anything, simply pick up the telephone and dial extension 2626.” He bowed and left. The door clicked shut, and I heard the lock snap into place.

I sighed and got up, heading for the other side of the room, and plopped in the large chair. Teddy immediately started eating while I just sat there. The lasagna looked good, but my stomach was so upset, the thought of eating wasn’t all that appealing.

My worry over Maj didn’t help anything. I wanted him there with me, not off wherever he was doing whatever he was doing. I had a feeling whatever Maj was doing it was dangerous. Del’s reaction had been my first clue.

The remote was sitting next to my food. Why not? I flipped through the channels until I found a movie with enough explosions and corny dialogue as okay background noise. I took two bites of lasagna and knew I was done. If I ate anymore than that, I’d throw up.

Crawling into bed, I felt my energy draining. I was achy, similar to having a bad cold, and weak like I gave too much blood. It just hit me, and all I wanted to do was relax and sleep.

I settled into bed. An immediate sense of pure comfy lulled me in. Teddy jumped up and snuggled with me. That little dog could really jump. I mean really. He jumped on everything like it was nothing.

The movie played in the background. My eyes stung, and I blamed my exhaustion after the day’s traveling.

“Aw!” My body jackknifed off the bed. Pain seared my side and upper thigh. It felt like claws were trying to rip away my flesh, but nothing was there. Searing rage chased away any discomfort. I wanted to rip something apart or punch a wall.

None of this pain or rage was mine. It was Maj.

I took several deep breaths, trying to push away what I was feeling, what Maj was feeling. The anger and pain faded away, leaving me achy and weak again. I moaned, collapsing into the pillow, my eyes closing.


	8. Blackburn

I was somewhere in between. This place wasn’t wakefulness, but I wasn’t asleep either. I could feel the bed beneath me, the comfort of the pillow, the soft blankets, but it all wasn’t real. At least, I thought it wasn’t real. I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t.

Pain slithered down my side and into my thigh. It felt like claws had raked down my flesh and ripped it away. Flames licked every nerve in my body from the pain. This pain wasn’t mine.

My fists clenched, crinkling the sheets, and I fought not to scream. This time, I couldn’t push it away. It was too strong, the connection wouldn’t weaken. Maj was close. It was the only explanation I had.

Something wet and wide like a slug licked my face. A little wet nose nudged my cheek and a soft whine encouraged me to open my eyes. Teddy stood on my pillow. He smelled like lavender, the same as the sheets. Teddy must’ve curled in the blankets.

Reality sunk back in, telling me everything I felt before was the truth, except for the pain. It sucked balls. Giant hairy gorilla balls. I didn’t like this connection thing. I also didn’t like Maj in that much pain. Scratch that, I fucking hated it.

I rolled onto my side and cuddled Teddy Bear. Something smelled delicious, piquing my interest. Grunting, I rolled the other way to find steaming hot breakfast sitting on the low coffee table. The lasagna was gone, and fresh food sat in Teddy’s bowl. When had Del been there, and why didn’t I hear him? What time was it?

Groaning, I sat up. My muscles ached like I had worked out for hours instead of sitting in a car. Was that yesterday? Glancing at the window confirmed it was bright daylight outside, judging from the edges of the curtains. I guess I really had been asleep that long. It didn’t feel like it, though. It seemed I just fell asleep five minutes ago.

I hated sleep like that. Waking up feeling like I’d only slept a few minutes, when really it’d been hours, was close to being cheated or something. It wasn’t fair at all.

Teddy stood and stretched forward with a yawn. He shifted his weight forward and stretched out his back legs, then shook. Teddy hopped down and marched his way over to his breakfast and began eating. His tag clinked against the metal of the bowl, and it gave me some semblance of normalcy.

My stomach grumbled, letting me know Teddy had the right idea. Moving proved a harder task than it should’ve been, and I flopped back down on the bed. My bladder hurt, but I couldn’t muster the energy to move. Cramps constricted my empty stomach; the food only made it worse.

Teddy’s fluffy face obscured the ceiling. He hopped on my chest and sat down, wagging his tail. “Do you realize you’re the only decent conversation I’ve had in almost two days?” Teddy wagged his tail faster and tilted his head. He licked his lips, and his little nose wiggled as he sniffed the air. “That’s kinda sad.” I sighed and started scratching him. His back stretched out, and his head went in the air as he licked nothing.

I shook my head with a soft sigh. “You’re silly.”

“Arf!” He jumped down and went back to his food on the other side of the bed. I heard his collar again and the distinct little crunch of hard food. He must have hard and soft because I hadn’t heard the crunch before. Maybe I had and just didn’t realize it? I didn’t know, and right then, I didn’t care.

Rolling from bed wasn’t the smartest thing I’d done, but I had to get up. The chilly air sent a shiver down my back. Great. The last thing I needed was to add a cold to everything else that was currently going wrong.

Once up, I headed for the bathroom and took care of bathroom-y things. I even sat down to pee because standing was too much right then. I felt like a horse threw me, then picked me up and threw me again. That wasn’t possible, but it was how I felt. Maybe my dumbass got back on the horse and it threw me again and again, that’d be more likely.

Wait, what did I care? I was sitting on the toilet, my ass going numb, thinking about horses throwing me around. Really? Sighing, I got up and did what I had to do. The water was cold when I washed my hands, but I didn’t have the patience to wait for it to warm up.

I blinked and took in the bathroom. It was really nice and large. A whirlpool tub took up a good portion of the bathroom. A standup shower was in the corner. It looked big enough for two, but it’d be a little snug. A door on the opposite wall from the tub and shower must have led to the closet, but I wasn’t checking.

Glancing in the mirror proved another bad idea. I looked like hell, and that was me being nice to myself. Bags under my eyes gave me a sickly look. My eyes were bloodshot as if I hadn’t slept at all, and my hair was a mess. It stuck out in every direction, and I wondered when I took my last shower. The last time I remembered was the morning I was shot at Whitman’s. After that, I hadn’t a clue.

I knew Maj took care of me since I didn’t smell like a homeless person and a slight shadow was darkening my chin. The shower was looking really good right then, but my stomach growled. Eat, then shower. That was an excellent plan. Afterward, I could pick the lock and explore the house. Teddy would have to go out by then anyway.

Once back in the bedroom, I made a beeline for the chairs and my breakfast. Teddy sat in the chair closest to the crackling fireplace. I came up short. When did that happen? They weren’t on fire when I left for the bathroom. I wasn’t that unobservant. Del did say he was a fairy so maybe he could poof fire or something. At this point, I’d believe it.

I sat and dug into a pile of pancakes and fruit. The TV was still going, but I had no idea what was on. It was also muted, and I didn’t do that either. If I paid too much attention to everything that had gone weird on me in the last week, I’d go crazy. Certifiable.

Shrugging, I ignored the muted TV and downed my breakfast. When my fork clanked against the plate and bowl, I was disappointed. I could eat another round I was so hungry.

With a sigh, I sat back in the chair, contemplating a shower. It really was a good idea, but the pain slithered back to life, making me groan. Cramps threatened to return my breakfast, and that really would be a shame.

Curling into the chair was my only option. Muscles clenched, feeling like ripping fire.

The pain worsened, stealing my ability to breathe. Claws raked through my flesh, and I fought the scream threatening to mangle its way up my throat. A sharp whining pulled my attention. Teddy stood on his back legs with his front paws resting on my calf. He whined again and pawed at my skin. The fiery agony shot through my system again, and I groaned, hiding my face in my arm.

The chair shifted, and I knew Teddy had jumped up with me. A cool nose touched mine, and a little nudge of his head told me Teddy wanted my attention, the selfish mutt.

Teddy nudged his way against my chest and started licking my face. “Stop it,” I whined and pushed him off the chair. Teddy jumped back up, and another wet lick smeared across my face. “Really?” I frowned and tried to get away from him, but Teddy jumped on my chest and lay down. The mother-fucking dog pinned me and continued licking me. “Teddy!”

“Arf!” His tail was going a million miles an hour, and one front paw tapped my chest.

“You’re too damn cute.” I scratched him near his collar, and his little back leg started jiggling.

I laughed softly, then came up short. The pain was gone. Teddy had distracted me, and now I could actually think. There was something blocking Maj’s feelings. Nothing sinister, but something I made, maybe. At least, I hoped I had something to do with it. I needed a way to block Maj from me because there was no way I could feel for two people all the time. I’d go stir-crazy, and Maj would have to put me in a nut-house.

Whatever Maj was feeling tried to break through the wall I hoped I’d built. He was in pain but very close. This might be the closest he’d been since the last time I saw him at the other house.

“What the—” Something crashed downstairs, and I sat bolt upright. It sounded like a table had fallen under something heavy. My heart raced, and I heard thunks in the hall.

A key in the door turned my insides. I didn’t want that door to open and I did at the same time. It was one thing to sort of know Maj was hurt, but it’d be another thing altogether to see him hurt and I didn’t know if I could take that at the moment.

Teddy sat up, stiff as a board. His hackles rose and a low, menacing bark shook his tiny frame. When the door creaked open, Teddy charged, barking as loud as he could manage. He danced around two pairs of feet. One I recognized as Del, and the other pair was bare save a curtain of dried blood.

I couldn’t bring myself to look up. I knew what I’d see when I did, and I was scared frozen.

“Sir, please, I need your help,” Del said, but I didn’t budge. I couldn’t. No way.

“Kash.” Del saying my name startled me, and I looked at him. Del stood in the doorway with Maj’s arm over his shoulder. He looked frazzled, more upset than frazzled, and I knew why. I just couldn’t— “Kash! Please!”

Shock jolted me from the chair. I was on autopilot, helping Del get Maj inside and settled into bed. Teddy danced around us, trying to help, but all he did was get in the way. “Sir, I’m expecting the Alpha and his son soon. When they arrive, you will have to speak with them as my Master’s mate.”

I blinked. “Who?”

“Alpha Blackburn and his heir, sir. They’re the leaders of the local wolf pack and will help protect you and Master from this threat.”

Wolves? There were wolves, too? Right. Del had said something about them already. Jesus H. “Can’t you deal with it?” So far I’d managed not to look at Maj. At least not in a critical way, just passing glances.

Del shook his head. “I’ll notify you when they arrive.” He turned to leave and was almost to the door before I shook myself.

“Aren’t you going to help me?” Was he seriously going to leave me alone to take care of Maj? Shouldn’t he go to a hospital or something?

“I’m sorry, sir, but I must see to the security of this house until the Blackburns arrive.” With that, he left and shut the door. This time, he didn’t lock it, and I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or not.

I stood there, staring at the door. A groan coming from the bed made my insides roll. Swallowing, I finally managed the courage to look at him.

He was dirty, very dirty, with tracks of dried blood, but I couldn’t see any wound on his face. His clothes were nonexistent, which didn’t surprise me. Maj was the type who eighty-sixed clothes. I saw it in my peripheral, the reason for all the blood.

Nausea tried to crawl up my throat, but I swallowed it back down. The last thing Maj needed was for me to lose it. A large gash from just above his hip and down his thigh stood open and raw. Thankfully, it wasn’t bleeding, just oozing a little. Bruises darkened one side of his body as if he’d been slammed. I hoped most of it was just a lot of dirt packed together, but I had a feeling I was fooling myself.

I needed to get Maj clean, but I wasn’t sure how to do that. I wasn’t a weakling or a wimp, but there was no way I could get Maj into the bath by myself. His healing purring-thing helped a lot where my shoulder was concerned, but it still ached and I didn’t want to drop him.

That’d be bad.

Wavering, I couldn’t decide if I should stay with him or go into the bathroom to find something to wash him with. I saw a movie where the nurses gave their patients a sponge bath, and that seemed like the best idea.

Biting my lip, I glanced over him one more time before leaving him to rummage around in the bathroom. I found a basin. I think it was used for face washing, but I wasn’t sure, and took it into the bedroom. Where to put it? I set it on the floor and went back for a pitcher of water. The pitcher matched the basin, so I assumed they went together.

Once it was filled and its contents poured into the bowl, I found several washcloths and two large towels. I paused in the bathroom, the towels clenched in my grasp.

Teddy Bear walked into the bathroom, his nails clinked on the tiled floor, and stared at me. “I know,” I told him, and his little tail didn’t wag. He knew something was wrong. He turned around and went out the door into the bedroom.

I followed him but came up short. Maj lay on the bed, and for the first time, it dawned on me that he wasn’t invincible. And perhaps, he might just need me as much as I needed him. Which was absolutely ridiculous since I’d only met him a few days ago. I couldn’t decide if I was a fool or hopeless, probably both.

Moving into the room was like wading through molasses. I felt heavy and suddenly tired. Pain flared in my thigh. None of this was me; it was him. Logically, I knew that, but it still brought me down. Maj was pushing into my head. My steps faltered, and I stumbled into the bed.

The pain lanced up my leg and lodged in my hip. “Jesus.” It wasn’t like before, but it still threatened to knock me on my ass.

“Sir, the Alpha is— Are you alright?” Del was at my side. His warmth was welcome, but I wanted Maj, not him.

“I’m okay.”

Del’s hand went under my arm, steadying me. “With all due respect, sir, I think you’re lying.”

I laughed, but it sounded more like a hysterical bark. The mental wall I’d built was failing, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was Maj’s proximity? Taking a deep breath was harder than it should’ve been. My chest felt tight, and one side, the same as Maj’s bruising, felt like needles made of fire piercing into my bones.

“Talk to me.”

“Um, sir?”

“Distract me. Talk.” The fiery needles morphed into ribbons lashing against my insides.

“I began working for Master Rengal well over a hundred years ago. He took me in as a young boy and has been my Master ever since. I worked through the ranks of the house and am now the head butler. I see to all things regarding all of Master Rengal’s estates.”

“All?” I blinked at him. Did he say all? “How many is all?”

“Yes, sir, all seven of them.”

Seven.

“Like, seven houses?”

Del chuckled. “No, sir.” His tone sounded like he was talking to a dumb child. “An estate is much larger than just a home. This—” He indicated the house. “—is only a guest house for the main house. The main home is a mile away.”

“Say what?”

He smiled. It was a soft and gentle one, softening Del’s face. “Feeling better, sir?”

“I—,” Wait, I did. The pain was gone and the mental wall stood strong. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Excellent. I came to inform you the Alpha has arrived.”

The what? Oh, right… The wolf. My gaze landed on Maj. Teddy Bear had jumped on the bed and lay on the pillow next to Maj’s head. “Will you stay here with him?”

“Actually, I think it best that I accompany you.” Del must’ve seen my distress because he immediately continued. “I’ve seen Master in a much worse state. He will shift and heal. I promise. Maj will be fine, Kash.”

His use of our names instead of titles helped ease my mind, but I still wasn’t convinced. “But…”

“The faster we deal with the Alpha, the sooner you can return to Master.”

He had a point. I let out a deep breath. “Let’s go. Teddy?” My little pup perked up at his name. “Watch him.” Teddy grunted and settled back down.

“They’re downstairs in the greeting room.”

“The greeting room?”

Del led the way and held the door for me. “I do believe, in a smaller home like this, it is called a living room.”

I walked past him into the hall. He followed, closing the door gently, and once again walked past me. “Is this really just a guest house?” I asked.

He descended the stairs at a brisk pace. “No, sir. This home’s value is the acreage on which it sits. I wanted to distract you. I’m sorry I lied.”

“No, I appreciate it, I think.” Should I appreciate him lying to me? Probably not, but it did help. I guess I’d let it slide this time, but if I found out he was making a habit of lying to me, there would be words.

Once down the stairs, two large men dominated the living room space surrounded by four others. Del stepped forward and bowed low to one of the men. “Alpha Blackburn, may I present my Master’s mate, Sir Kash.” Del stepped aside and, with a sweeping motion, announced Alpha Blackburn and his son Jeffrey Blackburn.

The man Del bowed to looked at Del like he had grown a second head. “Is he always like that?” the man, Alpha Blackburn, I thought, asked me.

I sighed and shrugged with my right shoulder. “So far.”

This extracted a laugh from the Alpha and his son. “We won’t keep you. I wanted to let you know that our warriors are circling every fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you.” Was there anything else I was supposed to say? “This is very kind of you to take us in and help us.”

Alpha Blackburn waved me off. “I’ve known Maj for a long time. Hadn’t seen him in a while since that whole thing with his brother. I’m sure you know all about that. How long has it been?” he asked his son Jeffrey.

Jeffrey answered his father, but I didn’t hear it. Maj had a brother? Why hadn’t he told me? I couldn’t fault him since I hadn’t told him about my twisted family yet, either. Maybe that was why. His family might be just as fucked-up as mine.

“…Anyway, we won’t keep you any longer. If you need us or anything, here’s my personal number along with Jeffrey’s and my trusted bodyguard Ray’s.” A man stepped forward—Ray, I assumed—who handed me a slip of paper.

“Thank you.”

The Alpha nodded with a smile and said his goodbyes along with the others. I smiled and waved, not wanting to seem too eager for them to leave.

Del stepped forward, ushering them out. The door clicked shut. The sound triggered something in me, a release, and I hauled myself back upstairs.


	9. Shelly

I stood outside the door, panting, my hand hovering over the knob. A barely discernible tremor shook me from head to toe. I’d wanted him safe with me since I woke up to the crazy whirlwind that was Del, but now that I had him, I couldn’t force myself to open the damn door.

“Master stood just as you when you were hurt,” Del said from the top of the stairs. “He spoke of wanting to be near you so badly yet couldn’t bear to see you in pain.”

“That sounds about right.” Del gave voice to what I was feeling. I supposed Maj actually did, but that didn’t really matter at the moment.

“I will say to you what I did to him.” Del went silent, prompting me to look at him. When our gazes met, he continued. “Stop being selfish and get in there. He needs you.”

“You said that to Maj?” I couldn’t bring myself to believe mister Master-and-Yes-Sir would stand up to his boss like that.

Del nodded. “I did, and he promptly threatened to fire me as he does every time he knows I am right.” Del turned around and began descending the stairs. “I will have dinner brought up in an hour and a half’s time.” He disappeared, leaving me alone to wallow in whatever it was I was wallowing in.

I swallowed, took a breath, then opened the door. Teddy came charging over, ready to attack. He skidded to a stop when he saw me and sniffed the air. He twirled around with a little bark, then scampered back to Maj on the bed.

He was in the same position I had left him in. Not that I expected anything different…

The towels were at the edge of the bed where my pain flare had happened. Maj’s emotions and physical misgivings were safely kept behind the wall-like structure I had built in my head. Damn that sounded weird.

Teddy lapping at the water drew my attention to the bowl. It had to be cold by then. Lifting the large bowl proved harder with my shoulder than I would have liked. At least I wasn’t on normal healing time thanks to Maj’s purring.

With the water dumped and the bowl now filled with hot water, I grabbed the towels, letting the washcloths drop into the water. They absorbed the moisture, changing color from an off-white to an almost gray, then sank to the bottom.

I placed the towels on the bed before sinking to my knees. The water was just the right side of too hot to the touch. Wringing the cloth sent a shower of drops back into the basin. The sound reminded me of my mother. No matter my father’s mood when he came home, he had always been asinine toward me. When I was little, his attitude always made me cry. Mom would take a cloth and soak it hot water, wring it, then wipe my face when my dad wasn’t watching. It was the only amount of comfort she ever offered me when he was around.

With a sigh, I stood and began the almost impossible task of cleaning Maj. I started with his arms, the cloth only smeared the dirt into mud streaks. My free fist clenched, then shook. All I wanted was to clean him up, but instead I was making it worse. Could I not do anything right? Ever? Jesus H. My own father hated me because I was a screw-up.

“Ju-de.” Maj stirred and groaned.

“Maj? I’m here.” I took his hand in mine, holding on for dear life. “I’m here.” Tears burned. “Please… Come back to me.” When no answer came I began to wonder if I heard him at all. “Maj?” A brief glimpse of honey eyes gave me hope I wasn’t just hearing things. The cloth slipped from my grasp; it slid to the floor and splashed into the warm water. “Maj?” There was more force behind his name. I wanted him to wake up. I needed him to wake up. “Maj, please?” My hands shook as I reached for his face. His skin was warm to the touch, too warm. Did he have a fever? Was someone like him capable of one? There was so much about him I didn’t know. Small little things that only time together could answer; it was time I hoped we had. Another groan gave me hope. He moved, if only a little bit, and struggled to open his eyes. I wanted to encourage him, but my voice was frozen in my throat.

“Jude.” My name deteriorated into a moan.

Maj’s eyes gradually opened, but he wasn’t looking at me but through me. “Maj?” I tried again while caressing his face.

His attention shifted to me, and a twitch of his lip told of a smile he wasn’t capable of yet. “Jude.” He croaked out my name through dry lips.

Letting out a breath, I licked my lips. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’ve got you now.”

He blinked, then lurched to the side. A scream ripped from his throat, jarring my very core. The shield I had managed cracked under the strain of his cry. It threatened to shatter. Maj fell from the bed, sending searing pain through the fracture, threatening to rip a scream from my throat. The water from the basin sloshed over the floor and me. His body rippled, and a very large Sampson took his place. The big cat shook on his feet and a heavy panting filled the room. A large tongue flexed in and out of his mouth with every breath.

I backpedaled until my back hit the wall.

Sampson, Maj, collapsed under his own weight. The large cat let out a painful howl but settled down. “Maj?”

His copper eyes looked at me with sadness and pain. Our gazes connected, and the wall I’d built in my mind shattered. Pain sliced up my thigh and a drill hammered itself into my hip. The intensity of it left me breathless. Black danced at the edge of my vision, and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

Maj was worried about me. He felt guilty for hurting me, even though he didn’t understand how he was doing it. At the same time, he was relieved that I was okay. I wanted to get closer to him, to curl up against him and forget about everything.

“It’s okay,” I soothed and sank to my knees, then crawled forward. Raging fire seared from my thigh, over my hip, and up into my still-healing shoulder. White lanced across my vision followed by blackness. Maj’s golden fur and a white-ish streak I assumed was Teddy colored the edges of my vision. The blackness reached out like a possessed octopus, taking me into the abyss.

I fought it; I had to. I reached out, feeling his coarse coat. His sheer size made me feel small and powerless. If he really wanted to, he could hurt or kill me with one swipe of his massive paw. His jaw could crush bone. I’d say just about everyone in his world could kill me.

The pain reared once again, upset at being ignored. My head rested against Maj’s side, it went up and down with his breathing, and I fought to keep my eyes open. I had to make sure he was okay…

* * *

It was a clinking sound, metal against metal, tink-tink-tink, that drew me awake. A shiver took me by surprise, and I snuggled further into the warmth at my side. Slow, gentle purring nearly lulled me back asleep, but a more insistent pressure near my bladder prompted me to yawn. Uncurling myself proved more difficult than it should’ve been. I wasn’t stiff or achy, oddly, I just didn’t want to leave Maj.

Teddy trotted over with a bounce in his step. He sniffed Maj’s ear, his little nose wiggling, then began to lick inside Maj’s ear. The big cat stretched a little. His head tilted to the side, and his whiskers pushed forward.

With a sigh, I pushed myself up and went to take care of my bathroom needs. I returned to find Teddy lying down, still licking Maj’s ear, with Maj nearly melting into the floor. It must’ve been an animal thing because I wouldn’t let Teddy do that to me.

Maj shook his head, then looked at me. His gaze took me in before he yawned, revealing massive teeth. He stood, albeit a little shaky. His whole body twitched, his skin shifted over his bones. Almost inaudible snaps and crunches from his skeleton made me cringe. All too quickly, it was over and a naked, crouching Maj was before me. His transformation was beautiful and horrifying at the same time.

“Jude?” Maj calling my name pulled my attention. He was reaching for me in a silent plea for help. I went to him and helped him stand. Maj was a little unsteady, but otherwise he seemed okay. His arms went around me and pulled me into a hug.

I pressed against him. It was then relief relaxed my body, and I fought back tears. “What the hell is going on?”

Maj kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I had no time to explain.” Maj held me tighter. “Someone attacked me. Someone is very upset with me. I had you moved for protection’s sake and peace of mind. I am so sorry…” Maj’s explanation left me with only more questions. A subtle pain caressed my mental wall. My barrier thinned a little, and the wave that hit me almost brought me to tears. This person wasn’t just someone.

“Are they dead?” My wall thickened before Maj could answer. I was afraid of what I’d feel.

Maj stroked my back. “No.” He sounded both relieved and stressed by that.

I sighed; it was shaky. “Will they come back?”

“I hope not…” Maj pulled away. Hurt crushed my feelings, but right then, I couldn’t let that bother me. “I need to—” He abruptly stopped talking as he swayed. His gaze became distant, and a muscle twitch tightened where his wounds were.

“Maj?”

He blinked, then squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them. “Rest,” Maj finished.

I went to him and put his arm over my shoulder. A little clumsily, I helped him to bed and tucked him in. Maj gripped my wrist. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t gentle either. “With me?” Frowning, I didn’t understand what he meant. “With me?” he repeated, but this time he pleaded.

“Lay with you?” I hoped he meant that for two reasons: one, I wanted to be with him, and two, it was the only thing I could think of he could mean.

Maj nodded, but he was fighting to stay awake.

I crawled into bed with him and pulled the covers up over us. He settled into my arms like a child would in those of a comforting parent. My fingers played in his hair as Maj drifted to sleep. His purr hardly got started before he was completely out.

Sighing, I looked around and spotted the remote. With a sigh, I grabbed it and turned on the TV. After some channel surfing, I found a movie and settled in to watch it.

Throughout the day, Maj only woke once to use the bathroom. I’d gone through two movies and a series binge-watch. There was a marathon on, and it wasn’t like I had anything else to do.

It was just past eight in the evening, and Del had brought up our dinner. I had already eaten, but Maj’s still sat on the table. I was propped up in bed with Maj next to me, trying to find something else to watch.

“Jude.”

I looked down to find honey eyes staring back and a much more alert Maj. “Long time no see, bumble bee.” He smiled and hid his face in the pillow. It reminded me of a child hiding from a compliment, and it was endearing. “How are you feeling?”

Deep purring came from him. He reappeared from the pillow and caressed my thigh. “Better. Much better.” His gaze pierced me to my core.

“Do you want something?” I teased as I set down the remote.

Maj growled deep in his chest as he rose up and kissed me. It wasn’t demanding like I expected but gentle and loving. Every move was tender. His tongue licked my lips and the roof of my mouth. Small tingles shot to my toes.

“Need you,” he whispered so softly I almost didn’t hear him.

My hand on his shoulder pushed him back down. I leaned over and kissed him as I moved to straddle his hips. A low moan from him made my wakening cock twitch. “I’ve needed you for two days.”

“Mmm.” His hips hitched up, grinding his cock against my sack. “I’m sorry,” he said before devouring my mouth. His hands moved along my back to my ass, then squeezed. Using his grip, Maj pulled and pushed my hips against himself. Little shocks of electricity curled my toes and arched my back in an effort to help him.

One hand moved under my shorts. Fingers teased over my entrance, but that was all. I broke the kiss and hid against his neck. “Not fair,” I grumbled and bit his neck.

Maj growled, low and powerful. A caressing finger sank in deep.

“God.” My legs spread out, and I pushed back against him. The sting was perfect.

Peppered kisses added to my pleasure. “Get the lube,” he ordered, and for a moment, I toyed with disobeying just to see what he’d do. The sound of his voice prompted me to obey this time.

His purring vibrated along my body as I stretched out to reach for the too-far lube in the drawer. Once I had it, Maj gripped my throat. The constriction so tight I could barely breathe. My moan died in my throat, caught by Maj, and pleasurable tingles danced along my spine. He took the lube, unscrewed the cap, uncaring of where it went, and squeezed the cool gel down my ass.

My protests of the too-cold gel went unheard as his finger speared me again. The bastard teased me with little shocks of pleasure but nothing great enough to give any sort of relief. I gripped his arm holding my throat and squeezed.

“More,” I managed to croak out before his grip cut off all air. Water blurred my vision, and cool tracks tingled my cheeks.

He kissed my tears away before letting go. Air rushed into my lungs as Maj gripped my hips. He manhandled me until I was straddling his upper body. Confused, I was about to ask what he was doing until my cock disappeared down his throat.

“Oh, fuck,” I hissed and gripped the headboard while I fought the urge to fuck his face. Goddamn, did I want to fuck his face… “Shit.” Another finger joined the first, stretching me, and my hips moved all by themselves. Warm, wet heat encompassed me. Light suction had me moaning while a third finger joined the other two. For any normal-sized man, I’d be fully ready, but for him, I’d need another, not that I wanted it.

His fingers curled and twisted until they found every man’s magical happy spot. “Nnnn, yes.” The son of a bitch started purring. Fucking purring while sucking my dick. Every vibration from his purr sent small shocks, almost like a gentle vibrator, up my dick into my balls. It wasn’t enough to satisfy, only build upon my pulsing need for him.

He left me, but his talented mouth kept me occupied. I heard and felt him shimmying around underneath me. He gripped my hips again and guided me back until my ass lined up with his cock. Our gazes met, and I knew I was looking into the eyes of his liger self. He shifted a bit and guided his cock to my ass. I bit my lip in anticipation. He smirked, then rubbed his cock along the crevice of my ass.

“You teasing bastard.” I reached behind myself and gripped, then guided him in one swift swoop. The head pressed against me, then forced its way inside as I pushed back, all the way. All of him in one thrust was a lot to take, but my cock stayed hard. Once seated, the pleasure of it shook my thighs and a pearl of precum glistened from my tip.

Maj’s jaw worked as he fought for self-control. “You” he said before flexing his hips.

“Jesus…” I collapsed on top of him in a very shameless attempt to get him to move again. Maj obeyed my silent request ever so languidly. Each teasing thrust was loving and caring, very much unlike our first animal coupling.

Maj took my mouth in a slow kiss. “Will you truly be mine forever?” he asked with a hint of fear. I didn’t need my weird emotion thing to know that.

“I already said I would.”

His eyes expanded, then contracted. Fangs protruded beneath his upper lip, and his hand yanked on my hair, exposing my throat. “Aw! Hnn...” I screamed as sharp, piercing teeth sank into my flesh just beneath my ear. Possessive, near frightening growls vibrated along his body into mine like a deep bass in a nightclub. He sped up his pace, and before long, the edge was all to close. Just a little more… Maj wrapped his free hand around my shaft, and that was my undoing. All at once, everything exploded in a flash of white pleasure. Every muscle quivered with it, stealing my voice. His teeth bit slightly harder, then he released me and claimed my mouth. Blood, my own blood, seeped into my mouth as he thrust a few more times. Something between a growl and a purr escaped him before he came deep inside me. He rolled, taking me with him, as he kissed me and granted me a few final thrusts.

“Maj…” His name rolled off my tongue. The barrier inside my head was gone. In its place stood nothing and something at the same time. It was a feeling of knowing and control, something similar to when you know someone is watching you, but definitely not as sinister. I knew what was mine and what was his, but I was able to shut it off as easily as a faucet of running water. There was an underlying sense of power just below the surface of my conscious mind, an itch I couldn’t scratch. It was new.

“Jude?” My name from him brought my attention outward. His handsome face was sweaty, but a look of concern and uncertainty marred his features. “Jude?”

As he said my name again, I merely looked at him. His eyes danced between human and not. He was afraid he’d done something wrong, that I was regretting what I had agreed to. He even toyed with the idea that I didn’t want to be with him at all.

Thoughts danced and swirled in his mind; all of them too fast to get a firm grip on any, save one. “Why do you question my commitment to this? Us?”

His eyes went wide, and the slits narrowed as far as they could. Surprise. “I said nothing of the kind.”

“No, you didn’t.”

It was a tendril of something I couldn’t identify that slithered into his conscious. It wrapped around his thoughts and gave a none-too-gentle squeeze. “How did you…?” Fear. The tendril was fear. Maj was afraid of me.

“It’s okay.” I reached for him, and relief helped calm me when he didn’t back away. “I wasn’t afraid of you. Please don’t be afraid of me?” It came out like a question when I meant it as a statement.

The slits in his eyes expanded and contracted quickly. He let out a breath, and the tendril slithered away, back to its dark cave of a past I wasn’t sure I wanted to learn of, not like this. “You’re different” was all he said, and I couldn’t argue with him.

Something was different.

“What happened yesterday?”

Maj’s eyes took on a darker copper. He huffed, and avoidance created a buffer between him and me. It wasn’t strong enough to keep me out, but it happened all the same. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Maj left me and stalked across the room. He slammed the bathroom door, leaving me alone.

My jaw worked, teeth grinding, and I took a deep breath. I’d been very understanding about all of this, without asking many questions. I left my somewhat life for him. He left me alone to be shuffled around by Del without any warning or an explanation, and I wanted my damn explanation.

“Maj!” I got up, bare-ass naked, and marched to the bathroom door. “Maj,” I said again with as much authority as I could manage. “We need to talk.” If I delved deep enough, opened our bond, I could know exactly what he was thinking and feeling about this, but that seemed too intrusive, too trust breaking.

The door came open with Maj in a robe. “Not now.”

He strode past me, smelling of soap and sex. “If not now, then when?” My question was laced with a harsh tone, but it didn’t seem to faze him in the least. I wanted to open the channel between us to understand, but I sighed instead. “Maj?” He ignored me and disappeared through the door, down the hall, then the stairs. “Son of a bitch.”

Shaking my head, I fetched the other robe I’d seen and went after him. “Maj,” I called out as I came to the bottom of the steps. Del stood near the entrance to the kitchen, staring at Maj with a dubious look. Maj, for his part, had a tumbler in his hand with an amber-colored liquid, whiskey I guessed. “Maj,” I said again.

“Not. Now,” he said, each word filled with force and authority worthy of a man of royalty. Too damn bad I didn't give a shit.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yes. Now.” Del rocked back on his heels as if to leave. “Oh, no.” Del froze. “You. Stay.”

Maj growled. “Leave us,” he ordered, but Del didn’t move.

“I beg pardon, sir, but I fear him more than you,” Del said with a light air.

Maj turned on him with a snarl. “You. What?”

Del looked down, then to Maj again. “With all due respect, but you, Master, fear him, therefore I should as well.” My chest hitched, and my breathing faltered. Del caught my eye and gave me a wink. Was he kidding?

Maj took a sip of his drink, then snorted. “I don’t fault you there.” He glanced at me, then back to Del, then to me. “Can you see?”

I frowned. Could I see what?

He took a step closer toward me. “Can you? Within?”

With his permission, our connection opened. Darkness took me away, and I stood in a bar. It was the sleazy kind with too much cigarette smoke and girls that’d take you in the back. Maj stood at the bar and tossed back a shot of something clear. A man with black hair patted Maj on the back, his smile was grand, and his mannerisms spoke of a better upbringing than his current surroundings.

“Raj!” a female voice called, gaining the black-haired man’s attention. In the dim light, his face matched Maj’s in every way save the hair. They could’ve been twins.

The woman, an attractive redhead of average height and weight, walked up to the men, but all of her attention was on Raj.

“Shelly.” Maj held a shot glass to her before tossing that one back as well. The glass clinked against the bar. “I’ll leave you two nauseating mates to yourselves.”

Raj punched him in the arm. “When you find the one, you’ll understand.”

Maj shrugged, and a look of pain momentarily crossed his handsome face. “Yeah,” was all he said before wandering off toward the pool tables.

Maj racked up a set and began playing a leather-clad man with a beard. They drew quite the crowd, and soon bets were being made on who’d win and lose. All seemed well, and the game continued for well over half an hour before a crowd mulling the room caused a blurred essence very similar to a drunken haze.

Yelling started, and the bearded man threw his cue stick on the table. Maj rose to the challenge with equal fury. The two squared off, shouting in the other’s face some vicious obscenities. Maj shoved the bearded man, who returned the push with equal force. Something silver flashed in the dim lighting between the bearded man’s meaty fists. The object danced and sliced, backing Maj up. Blood dripped from Maj’s wrist, a long jagged slice stood open, red sprinkled the floor, but Maj wouldn’t back down.

His gaze was that of his liger, but the bearded man didn’t seem to notice or care. Maj lunged, but the knife kept him at bay.

Red streaked from across the bar. Shelly appeared, trying to calm Maj, urging him to leave it alone. Her plea fell on deaf ears.

The bearded man lunged, and Maj countered, but something went wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. The entire room froze, not even a fly dared buzz.

Shelly stood in front of Maj, her gaze wide, with the knife protruding from her chest. She was mouthing something, but whatever it was died with her as she sank forward, caught by Maj. Raj appeared from the restroom, snapping the bearded man’s neck, then turning his attention to Shelly.

His look of absolute horror and disbelief froze his handsome face in a distorted image of fear. Maj was frozen, his shock apparent, completely uncaring of his bleeding wrist. Raj tried to revive the dead body of Shelly, but it was a futile thing because she was already gone.

Raj roared to the ceiling, his neck bulging, and shifted in the middle of the bar. His snapping jaws cleared everyone from his path as he charged out the open doors and into the night. From within the night, a deep resonating roar shook the very building.

The bar blackened and faded into the living room with Maj in his robe and Del by the kitchen. Teddy appeared at some point and took his post on the chair closest to the fire.

“He was your brother…” It wasn’t a question since I already knew the answer.

Maj took another drink. “Twin.”

Deep sadness rooted in a pain still fresh washed between us. “I’m so sorry.”

“He blames me.” His grip on the glass threatened to shatter it. “I blame myself.” Crashing hurt and self-hatred caught me off guard. This was a side of him I didn’t know existed, but I was, happy wasn’t the right word, but it was all I could think of, that he felt comfortable enough with me to share it. The words I love you formed at the tip of my tongue, but I bit them back. Somehow, the moment wasn’t right.

A deep, booming roar shook the very windows. The force of it resonated in my bones. I had heard that roar before; it was the same roar from Maj’s memory. In the second it took me to process the sound, Maj had shifted.

His healed form stood tall and proud with the hairs running down his spine standing on end. He bared massive fangs longer than my fingers and produced a roar just as commanding as Raj’s. Teddy scurried away, and I covered my ears. The sound so deafening, I heard a sharp ringing so profound my head began to hurt. He ran from the house, splintering the door, and vanished into the night.

A grip on my arm drew my attention. It was Del. He was saying something—what I didn’t know due to the damn ringing. His face spoke of urgency as did his insistence I go with him, but I just couldn’t make myself leave Maj behind.

“Kash?” Del’s shouting finally pushed its way through the reverberating noise. “We have to—” He stopped with a distant look on his face.

Del sank to his knees, then the floor. “Del?” Hot, moist air coated my face. A growl low and sinister froze me in place. The hairs along the back of my neck stood on end, and every muscle tightened. That wasn’t Maj.

Ever so slowly, I looked up to find a liger, so similar to Maj, but this one’s stripes were more pronounced.

“Raj.”

Pain seared from my temple to the base of my skull. Force sent me sideways to the floor in a crumpling heap. A secondary blow to the head as the floor met me sent everything into a fuzzy, tilting mess. Raj’s paw slowly descended back to the floor with what looked to be red on it. It was then I noticed something wet trickling down my face. The substance slid around my eyes to drip away. It tickled.

Raj stalked closer with a deep hiss, his weight creaking the wooden floors. He stopped, hovering over me, with an air of contempt so putrid I nearly choked on it.

Black threatened at the edges of my vision, but I fought it. I knew if I succumbed, it’d be the end. “Please,” I begged, but the snarling coming from Raj told me his answer. Teeth clamped over my head, engulfing me in darkness and the scent of freshly eaten flesh.

I tried summoning my voice, but nothing would come out. Raj shook, jarring my world and sending me further into the dark.


	10. Hate

Throbbing, insistent pain dragged me from the depths of an unrestful sleep. Weak light from what looked like a dirty window filtered the room in a soft glow. Then again, that could be my head playing tricks on me, because I was sure the naked man crouched before me wasn’t listing to the side.

In a twisted way, this reminded me of the first moment I had seen Maj. This version of him was dirty and shook with what I guessed to be unbridled rage. His fists flexed, and his jaw looked so tight I was sure he’d have broken teeth.

“It’s his fault,” Raj said with an air of finality that brooked no argument.

Pain, the purest kind of pain, from a love stolen too early, crashed in torrential tsunami waves within him. He wanted revenge for what he felt was an injustice done to him by his own flesh and blood, the ultimate betrayal. Raj blamed Maj’s unchecked temper for Shelly’s death.

A shiver crawled down my very being. “He’s different now.” And that was the truth. Maj wasn’t a hotheaded young idiot anymore.

“Lies!” He stood in a confronting stance and bared his teeth in a hiss.

“Please.” Agony went from a throbbing reminder to a sharp alarm. “You know he never meant—Aw!”

Raj had me by the throat, his claws digging into my skin. “Lies.” The floor underneath my back felt cool as did my entire body. “All. Lies.” His face was so close to mine, our noses nearly touched.

“You look like him.” My voice cracked under the strain of his grip. If not for the black hair, I would’ve thought my worst fear had come true.

A hiss so low and dark came from him that I thought the devil himself had presented himself from the depths of hell. “Now that, unfortunately, is true.” His face blurred in the wake of his pressing hand. Raj, my brother-in-law, was going to kill me for something I had nothing to do with. “He will know my pain.”

Raj’s eyes registered something, a noise perhaps, and his hand disappeared, but something was wrong.

A contention of some kind raged out of my field of vision. I should care about what was happening, try to get away, something, anything, but I just couldn’t make myself. I’d felt this before when Whitman shot me.

Life was leaving me, but this time I couldn’t be saved.

Raj reappeared, his face becoming my world. I wanted him to leave me alone to die in some semblance of peace. It was then I noticed the blond hair and the concern for my life that was leaving me all too quickly.

Maj wanted me to stay. So did I. There was so much about him I didn’t know, so much for us to do together.

Maj opened his mind to me, and there we were. Lounging on a couch, both drinking a beer. We laughed at something on TV and clinked our bottles together in some form of celebration. Teddy came bounding into the room with a bone and hopped onto the chair to chew his prize. Maj looked at me with such hope I couldn’t swallow.

“I love you,” he said, then kissed me so gently I thought I’d break.

This wasn’t a memory but a fantasy.

The now returned even darker and bleaker than before. I wanted to tell him I loved him too. To say that revenge wasn’t the answer, to forgive Raj despite what he had done. This couldn’t continue between them, not anymore.

Their hate had to die with me.

All of this I wanted to tell him and more, but I couldn’t because my voice was stolen away. Instead, I looked at him and watched him beg, plead, and curse for me not to leave him.

Oh, Maj, I didn’t want to leave you… But I had to…

Darkness seeped in as the weakness in my body became more profound. I was lighter than air and felt no pain or discomfort. Instead, the darkness promised a sleep so deep that I’d never wake.

I couldn’t refuse this invitation, not any longer…


	11. Epilogue: Blackstem

“Is there anything I can get you, Master?” Del’s penetrating voice intruded upon his self-imposed solitude. He hated Del for it, but without Del, Maj would truly be alone.

His jaw clenched, straining the muscles, and his hand twitched with the threat of becoming a fist. “No.” Maj hated that he despised Del. What happened wasn’t Del’s fault, but he couldn’t help but blame him somehow. It was the same sort of hate Raj had for Maj but on a less severe scale.

He took another swig of bourbon. The burn that should’ve made him grimace was but a dull next-to-nothing thing. He drained the glass. There was a bottle that sat almost empty on the end table next to him and another full one next to the first. Drinking had been the only thing to even remotely numb his loss.

“Maj, perhaps getting out would do you some good. How about taking Teddy on a walk?” Del was worried about Maj the way a guardian would be his charge. He knew Maj blamed him. In truth, Del blamed himself because surely there was something he could’ve done that day.

The thing was, there wasn’t anything either of them could’ve done. Fate had her plans.

The dog in question lay on the rug in front of the gentle fire. He didn’t even stir at the mention of his name. Teddy lost his fire in the year since… A loud crash shattered the silence. Maj’s glass lay in thousands of pieces across the dark wood floor. The fragments shone like the night sky, just like the night he was rescued…

Del inwardly cringed and went for the broom and pan he kept nearby since that night. He’d learned to keep it handy since Maj broke nearly everything he touched. “I’m sorry,” Maj told him without truly meaning it. He couldn’t mean it since the only thing he could feel was emptiness and anger.

At first, his rage couldn’t be contained. If it was in his way, he broke it no matter what it was, save for Teddy. He was the only thing that could bring Maj down from my hideous rage. He had belonged to…

The room faded, and the metallic stench of blood mingled with the sweet aroma of his mate. An image of Jude lay back some feet away from an unconscious Raj struggling to breathe sent a torrent of fear down Maj’s back. Maj’s stomach clenched, and his muscles tightened so hard he couldn’t move. He was frozen in fear. He couldn’t lose Jude, not now. Not after all this time alone… Pain for Maj settled in my gut. I hated that he relived my death over and over.

His memory of me coughed, something I didn’t remember doing at the time. It was a wet sound, and a gurgle snapped Maj’s attention back. Shifting, he reached for me. “Jude?” Deep red soaked the front of my shirt. “Jude…” He couldn’t breathe. His eyes stung.

A stream of blood ran from the corner of my mouth to puddle on the floor. I only stared at Maj, incapable of speech, it seemed with a look of acceptance. It was an acceptance Maj couldn’t understand. But I did. That moment still fresh in my mind, there was an odd sense of peace when I died, at least for me. Afterall, I had to die that day.

“Jude.” He wanted to touch me, but his hands were shaking so bad he just couldn’t. “Please. Don’t leave me.” Wet tickled down Maj’s face, tears, and the burning in his eyes increased. When I was dying, I didn’t hear any of this and, to hear it now, for the thousandth time Maj had relived it, clenched my gut.

There was so much for us to do together. Many lives through the ages we were meant to explore. This couldn’t be happening.

In Maj’s memory, my eyes went glassy and my heart shuttered to a stop. Maj heard it. It stopped. I was gone. I was…

Something scratched Maj’s chest, pulling us from Maj’s memory. Teddy sat in his lap, looking at him with sad brown eyes. Teddy wanted Maj to be alright. He wanted Maj to know that he was hurting too.

Ignoring Maj’s heartache was becoming harder and harder to do. If it wasn’t for Teddy, he didn’t know where he’d be or if he’d still be alive.

The door opened, and I stepped inside to find Del sweeping the shattered mess. Teddy stiffened, then came careening into the entryway, barking up a storm. He was so happy to see me and wanted me to know he tried his best to keep Maj happy while I was away, but Maj still broke things all the time.

A secondary crash scattered the shards across the floor once again, and the clank of the wooden broom handle sent an echo through the house, the product of Del’s surprise. He was looking at me with shock and disbelief.

I smiled and looked at the mess on the floor. My head tilted as I did. That wasn’t right. Things shouldn’t be broken, and poor Del shouldn’t have to clean up after Maj all the time. It wasn’t fair.

Tingles traveled down my arms to my hands. Dancing, tingling sensations encompassed my fingers and raw magic drifted to the glass shards. The shards hovered over the wood flooring. They moved, ever so leisurely, until the glass was once again the tumbler Maj had thrown. Along the infinite cracks, the glass emitted a soft glow until it grew to a hot lava red. Once the glass was repaired, it floated to the other glasses in the wet bar.

My magic returned to settle itself within me. I looked at my hand, turning it this way and that, with curiosity. I knew what happened—I knew how I did it—what I didn’t know was why I wasn’t freaked out by it.

Teddy had calmed and simply walked to his place on the floor and lay down with a tiny huff. He had been a good boy while I was away. He was very pleased with himself.

Stepping forward, I relaxed my arm and walked into the living room. “That’ll come in handy, what with how moody you’ve been lately. Teddy says you break stuff every time you move. What’s with that anyway? Just because you have a little cash lying around doesn’t mean you shouldn’t appreciate what you have.” I was joking with him, trying to lighten the mood. After all, I had been dead-ish a year to the day.

He stood and oddly took note of my suit, the same one I was buried in. “Jude…?”

“You’re lookin’ at me like I died or something.” My tone was light, hopefully, but my eyes brimmed with tears. Seeing him after a year underground, only being able to hear him, feel his rage, was a different sort of absolute torture.

I wanted to go to him, but fear twisted my insides into knots of hesitation. To occupy myself a little longer, I released my magic and began to repair the tattered suit. The suit didn’t take as long or as much power as the glass, and all too soon, I was standing there looking like an idiot about to cry.

Several seconds ticked by with him staring at me. Many different emotions clouded him, too many to process, even I couldn’t pinpoint them all, but the most profound was shock and disbelief. “But… You did die,” he said very matter-of-factly.

I swallowed down my emotion. “Yeah, I was there.” I took a step. “I love you, too.” There. I said it. The phrase I’d been dying—wrong word choice—to say since our forced separation. In the year since he watched me pass away, murdered by his own brother.

Wait.

Something, no, someone else was here. Cocking my head, I strained to hear. Whoever it was burned with anger. Magic scattered from my body, and the house came alive. I saw everything, anything, nothing, all at the same time. I went from the living room to the kitchen, the dining room, library, den, study, billiard room, upstairs, but still nothing.

No, something.

Another’s magic lay curled away, trying its best not to be seen. This magic wasn’t as powerful as mine despite being centuries old. The older magic curled away from me to form a solid defense, a wall of some kind, trying to keep me out.

“Jude?” Maj’s voice brought me back.

I looked at him to find him perplexed and worried. He wondered if I was crazy. Truthfully, I wondered about that myself from time to time.

“This way,” I told him and strode away, uncaring if he followed me or not. Follow he did, as did Del.

I led the way through the kitchen and out the back door toward a garden some one hundred feet from the house. My magic flew around us, and I took note of wolves watching from the distance. Insects and wildlife roamed the grounds, and a family of Cardinals nested in the chimney.

“Don’t light the fireplace in the living room,” I told Del, and he acknowledged me while keeping up.

A shed on the far side of the garden was my sole focus. “No!” Maj roared. He shifted. I felt it in the air, and his liger self jumped in my path with another deafening roar.

I stopped and put my hands in my pockets. “Move.” It was an order, and by the looks of it, Maj knew it as well.

He growled.

“Is that your answer?”

Maj hissed and began pacing back and forth, only a step or two.

The magic returned to me, gathered in my core, and hummed, creating a gentle heat within. I took one step toward Maj, then another. But my foot didn’t land on the gravel path, instead on the dirt stoop directly in front of the shed door. Hmm, that would come in handy.

I reached for the handle and grasped the lever. It jittered with the same magic I had felt before. With a turn of my hand, the magic broke, and I was inside.

There was nothing miraculous about this shed at first glance. Normal garden things adorned the walls and corners. Some of the items I couldn’t even name, but I did know what the shovel and trowel were. A table sat almost in the middle of the room with old pots and some dirt atop.

There was the something, how miraculous. The table moved with a little magical shove and a hidden hatch flipped open, revealing a staircase. I descended the solid rock steps, uncaring of Maj or Del yelling at me.

Once at the bottom, I noted the air was a little wetter and the temperature cooler. My gaze landed on solid iron bars. Inside was a man burning with the anger that had led me here. His cell was roomy, roomy enough for a liger to pace three times its length, and had the basics for a livable life.

Eyes glowed yellow from within the darkness. “Can you bring her back?” Raj asked and took a step forward into the light. The man who murdered me looked haggard and worn from a fight already lost.

Maj came barreling down the stairs, his hand stretched out as if to grab me.

I stepped forward, just out of reach, concentrating on the hum of magic, took another step and was before my murderer, no bars between us.

We locked gazes, and for the briefest of moments, I saw a flash of a memory, of him and Shelly twirling in the rain on the beach in celebration of some small thing. It made the pain of what I was about to say all the more agonizing. “I’m sorry… I can’t.”

Raj’s jaw flexed, and his fists twitched, but he made no move to hurt me. “It was a long shot.” He turned away, and I caught something curious in his thoughts. Raj fought to hide it away, but it was too late. I had already seen.

Sighing, I shook my head. “How did you figure it out?”

He turned, the glow in his eyes still there as if to frighten me. “Figure what out?”

He was playing dumb.

“That my mother cheated on my father with a fairy and that fairy was my dad.”

Maj and Del had gone quiet, stony still, listening to us. “He was my friend,” Raj said.

“Hm.” I shifted my weight to one leg. “So Coop is my father?”

Raj’s face relaxed in a momentary flash of surprise. He recovered with a shrug. “Was. He died not long after meeting your mother.”

A flash of a man who could’ve been my older twin lying crushed under a bolder briefly took over his memory. “He was murdered, you mean.”

“I forgot how damn intrusive your kind is.” It was a small joke. His tiny attempt at lightening the mood.

I looked him over. My magic reached for him, encompassed him. Raj flinched. “Stop it!” he yelled and bared his fangs with a threatening hiss. He charged, but with a thought, he was pinned to the floor unable to move. Deep predatory sounds emitted from him, but they did not sway me.

“I am more powerful than my father,” I told him. “Or his father before him.” Raj went deathly still, and I let him go. “I am the thirteenth son of the thirteenth son of the original Blackstem family.” Raj remained rigid, echoed by Maj and Del. “And fate, Raj Rengal, is not finished with you.”

I turned from him and set my magic upon the confining door. With a straining screech, the door wrenched open, and I stepped from within Raj’s cell to take Maj’s hand in mine. “Del? Raj will be joining us for dinner.”

My magic hummed once again, but this time it hugged Maj, too. I took a step backward, drawing Maj with me, then another, and the back of my knee bumped the bed. A fire sparked in the fireplace attached to the master bedroom. The light of it danced over Maj’s face, and I was reminded of the night in the cave when I first saw him.

Neither of us said anything. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. Maj was equally rendered mute. He thought plenty. His mind raced, bounced, twirled, and staggered over the last ten minutes. “I’m sorry,” I finally said.

“For what?” His thumb caressed my hand. That small gesture gave me hope that we would be okay.

“Everything.”

His brow tightened in confusion.

“I couldn’t tell you what was going on. All I could do for the past year was watch you suffer, and I’m sorry.” I bit my lip and looked away. “When I was underground, the urge to comfort you was so strong I nearly lost my mind.” Tears welled up, but I couldn’t let them fall, not yet. “It tortured me that I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t— Everything was dormant until the year mark. I’m so sorry. I—”

“Shhh.” Maj pulled me into his arms. His warmth seeped into my very bones, helping chase away a chill I didn’t realize was there. “I’m just happy to have you back.” Lips on my neck sent a shiver down my spine.

“Me too— Maj!” My stomach dropped as I went flying. The bed caught me in a puddle of blankets and pillows. Maj crawled up between my spread legs and kissed the fear away. God, how I missed him… “I love you.”

His purring began; it was a sound I hadn’t heard in a year. “I love you, too.” His cheek smoothed against mine, then my chin, my hair. He continued marking me like a contented cat would its beloved owner. “Please don’t leave me again.” His voice held a pleading tone. Hands framed my face, and Maj’s teary gaze found me. “Never again, please?” He leaned forward until our foreheads met. “I can’t handle it again. I just can’t.” Hot tears dripped onto my face.

“Maj, I—” He kissed me again, cutting off my words, and I kissed him back. “I can’t promise that. No one can.” His muscles flexed, and he made to argue with me. “But I do promise to try my damnedest to never, ever, leave you again.”

Maj nuzzled my neck. His hot breath caused a shiver to tingle just above my ass. “That’s all anyone can ask.” He rolled, taking me with him until we were facing one another, our legs intertwined. “Blackstem?” A finger tickled down my nose.

I sighed, my eyes closing, in the first real moment of peace I’d had in a year. “Mmmhmm.” A deep breath further relaxed me. “In the year, as my magic matured, it came with knowledge. I just know stuff.”

“Are you scared?” His hand splayed over my face and went back to comb through my hair.

His breathing was even, and his heartbeat threatened to lull me to sleep. I couldn’t hear his heart, only feel it through my magic. “No.”

Maj let out a deep sigh. “You are amazing. There is none like you.”

“Yeah, the rest of my family isn’t as powerful as me.”

Maj’s mind paused, took note of what I said. “Rest? Jude the Blackstem family is gone save you.”

“Mmm.” Scooting closer to him, I made myself comfortable. “No. Hiding.” Sleep, real sleep, not that forced darkness of death, was winning this fight. “Hm?” Did he say something?

“Where?”

“Don’t worry.” I patted his chest like a drunken fool. “They will come. Have to protect them. Mm, Ima sleep now.”

He kept his million questions to himself and chuckled instead. “Sleep, my Jude.”

I nodded as the weightlessness of sleep settled in. “Sex in a min-ute.” He laughed, then held me closer. “‘hen dinner.”

The mention of dinner lifted Maj’s hackles. “Shhh,” I told him. “Raj’ll behave.” Anything else Maj said, I didn’t hear. Sleep’s gentle tugging was winning, and I couldn’t stay awake any longer. I had to sleep now because my family was coming, and they would need me, us, to protect them.


End file.
